


The Mischance

by gubernaculum



Series: The Namesakes [18]
Category: Highlander: The Series, Torchwood
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-01 07:39:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13993632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gubernaculum/pseuds/gubernaculum
Summary: When something looks like a windfall, it might not be.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been posted out of sequence from where it falls within the series. The appropriate reading order is The Study, The Mischance, and then The Boy. I apologize for the confusion and thank you for reading!

"Fuck you!" he shouted into the open door. "You're a miserable cheating cunt!" 

After slamming the door, Andrew Darby stomped his way into the street filled with rage. He turned and kicked the door with all his might, dissatisfied nothing happened other than a loud bang. What he wanted to do was shove his fist through the glass, but the last thing I wanted was to end up in A&E needing stitches. He let out a frustrated, angry, and heart broken scream. _This is the worst day of my life_ _._ First he got the sack, then decided to pop round his girlfriend's for some moral support. Great fucking moral support finding some other bloke balls deep in her. He desperately tried to clear the image and the sound of the pig-like squeals she'd been making from his head. _Fucking faking it. Definitely._  

To top of his day off even more, it was pissing down and he had no brolly. He turned up the collar of his coat, shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking home. Halfway back to his flat, he paused at the intersection, waiting for the light to change. He got more and more pissed off as he walked. He should've known she was a cheating whore. She'd take ages to answer his texts and e-mails. She never answered his phone calls and would wait to answer his answer phone messages. _They're all cheating tarts. Like cats in heat._ As his eyes started to sting, he fought the tears. No, she's not fucking worth it! he told himself. 

"Are you all right, love?" an older woman asked. She looked at him with concern.

Darby hastily wiped his eyes. "I'm fine, thank you." 

"Are you sure?" she asked, again. "You don't look right." 

"My girlfriend's a cheating tart," he blurted. 

The old lady laughed. "Good thing you found that out now. I didn't find out my Charlie was diddling the next door neighbor until we had three children and fifteen years had gone by. There's a silver lining, love." 

Darby let out a scoff. "I guess." 

"Go on home. Have yourself a piss up, a good cry, and move on," she said, patting his arm. She reached into the bag. "I'd just bought myself a spare. Here. Take it."

"Thank you," he said, smiling.

"You're welcome," she said, then stepped across the street without another word. 

Darby it sounded like a capital suggestion. Just as he opened the brolly, a loud cracking noise and a thud made him pause. There was a battered metal suitcase that hadn't been there a second ago. Darby wondered if he shouldn't phone the police. These days, a random suspicious case could mean a bomb or something else dangerous and getting dead would completely top off his day. The thing certainly didn't look to be in good shape. It was dented up and looked like it had been in an explosion, not the cause of one. Curious, Darby pushed at it with his foot. It tilted and then fell over, the lid opening. 

Given the fact that the case didn't explode, Darby assumed there wasn't anything else dangerous inside. When he lifted the lid, there was nothing more than what looked like a gold bracelet. It was too large for his wrist, but Darby couldn't imagine another use. Maybe it was one of those arm cuffs?

He looked around and there was no one. He'd just lost his job and that thing looked to be made of gold. Maybe he could make a few quid and pawn it. He was about to reach for it when he paused. Maybe he could get something for the case as well if he cleaned it up, despite how banged up it look. After snapping it shut, he lifted it and continued home.

When he got there, he changed out of his wet clothes. He took out some cleaning fluid and some kitchen towels and started cleaning up the case. The bracelet was shoved into some foam to protect it, so Darby lifted the foam out and started wiping out the inside.

After plucking the bracelet from the foam, he turned it in his hands. It didn't look like it had any gems attached to it, but it was heavy and dense.

_Definitely gold,_ he thought.

There were lots of places that bought gold. If it was, and he saw no reason it wouldn't be packed like this, his luck was improving. Maybe his luck with women would improve. His last girlfriend had cheated on him. And the one before that as well. 

Absently, he slipped the bracelet onto his own wrist and slid it up, to see how far it would go. It rested right below his elbow. He turned it, admiring the design and the look of the metal against his skin. It looked custom made, something someone might be missing. But he didn't steal it, did he? He just found it on the side of the pavement. It was just the stroke of luck he needed with the shit day he was having. 

With a sigh, he began replacing the foam when a light giddiness spread over him. It reminded him of the time he'd had those narcotic pain pills after he'd dislocated his shoulder. A jolt of euphoria followed. _Woah_... Could there have been drugs inside the case that he'd disturbed when he'd cleaned? Had he inhaled some sort of powder? 

Whatever was happening to him, it felt so good his dick was getting hard in his trousers. Just as he decided to run with it and have a quick wank, the pleasure coursing through him peaked and he started coming, hard. 

"OH!" 

His hand gripped the edge of the table, white knuckle. It was the longest and most intense orgasm of his life... and it wasn't stopping! He could feel his dick spasming, dryly, the muscle contractions getting more intense. The pleasure spiking up his spine was toeing the line between pleasure and pain.

_Pain?_

_A_  light pain starting in his arm where the bracelet was touching his skin. It was the bracelet! He had no idea how a piece of metal was making him come, but the pain on his arm was worsening, turning into a burn. The metal was hot and getting hotter. 

"OW! FUCK! FUCK! YEOW!" Darby shouted. He stood up so fast, his chair toppled backwards. He tried to yank the bracelet off but it wouldn't budge! Wildly flailing his arm around he staggered to the kitchen to try and find something to pry it off. He could still feel his dick spasming and jerking in his pants, but that pleasure was far eclipsed by the searing pain. Once he yanked a drawer open, the utensils flying everywhere. The first thing he grabbed was a knife. Without thinking and desperate to get the now almost red hot metal off his arm, he jammed the point between the metal and his arm. Blood spurted upwards and sprayed his face.

"FUCK! FUCK! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!"

He'd seen enough crime dramas to know arterial spray when he saw it. Trying to ignore the searing pain, he grabbed a tea towel to try and staunch the blood. The towel caught fire and he tossed it into the sink, screaming. 

_999... 999... now now. Now. Now. Now. NOW. NOW..._

As he staggered for his mobile telephone, he realised it was at that cheating bitch's flat. The nausea began to overtake him, followed immediately by dizziness.

_Oh God! I don't wanna die! Please, no! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! No!_

Panic rose as he started to scream. "HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP! HELP ME! HELP!"

_NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO._

He staggered towards the door, but his knees gave out before he got there.

_So this is it..._

Then, the fear gave way to peace. Simultaneously an eternity and an instant passed as he laid there in an ever widening pool of his own blood. It was getting harder and harder to stay awake, but Darby didn't want to stay awake. It felt easier to sleep. His last thought before the darkness swallowed him was, _This really was the worst fucking day of my life..._


	2. Chapter 2

"Woah!" Jack cried as he side stepped the blood pool.

"Watch your step!" Alicia warned. The others might find it just teasing when Ianto leaned into Jack about stains and dry cleaning, but Alicia heard the genuine annoyance behind it. 

Ben and Ianto were bent over a steel case on the victim's kitchen table, but despite Alicia's warning, when Jack leaned over, Ianto immediately snapped, "Mind your coat hem, Jack!"

Ben chuckled and Alicia couldn't help smirking at Jack who swept his coat back and away from the blood pool. He asked, "Exsanguination?"

Alicia rolled her eyes and said, "Very astute, Captain."

Jack raised his eyebrow at her and not for the first time, he said, "Alicia, this isn't MiB. It's Jack and you can drop the pencil skirts."

She lifted her head and gave him a frank look. "I'm a Marine. You're my superior. So it will continue to be Captain, Captain Harkness."

"Didn't you achieve the rank of captain?" Harkness asked.

Alicia nodded. "I did and consider my following the orders of someone of equal rank a charity. And as for my wardrobe, for the record, I look good."

Jack licked his lips, then bent, tilting his head, trying to look up her skirt. "Yes, yes you do."

Alicia couldn't help but blush. At first, the constant sexual commentary between Jack and Hart led Alicia to believe they were having some sort of competition as to who could make the most numerous and most lewd double entendres as were possible in the English language. Over the course of her past month with Torchwood, she'd decided people from the fifty-first century simply have no verbal filter. She turned to Jack and said, "You're a walking sexual harassment suit." 

"We're a clandestine organization that's outside the government and beyond the police. Just who do you think you're going to complain to, counselor?" Jack winked at her, then turned to Ianto and asked, "Where's Heddlu Gwent?"

Ianto said, "They ruled the death as accidental so they didn't mind when I chased them off."

"What? Why'd you chase them off?" Jack asked, standing. He waggled his eyebrows at Ianto. "And why didn't you wait for me so I could watch? You know I love when you get bossy with them." 

Alicia snorted as she continued to dig through the victim's wallet. "Ianto I don't think you're letting Jack have his way with you enough."

"Well," Jack said, with a grin. "Just this morning-"

"Woah, woah, my virgin ears!" Ben snapped. 

Ianto ignored them both and said, after glancing at his stopwatch, "I sent Heddlu Gwent off because he's going to pop up any minute." 

"What?"

"He's immortal," Ianto said, waving at the dead body.

"Ouch," Jack said with a wince. He frowned  "Can't you clean him up then?"  

"I wasn't sure how to handle this. I mean, it was bound to happen eventually, I'm sure, but I rang Mandy anyway. She said it'd go smoother if we leave things as they are, grisly as it is." Ianto waved at the pool of blood. "He has to understand he's died and come back."

"What was his name, Alicia?"

"Andrew Darby," she said, reading his driving license. 

Jack nodded and pointed at the gold bracelet halfway up his forearm. "What's this?"

"What killed him, indirectly speaking." Ianto walked over and pointed at the edges. "They're nearly healed, but there's significant burns. I'm guessing when he put it on, it heated for the molecular bonding and causing excruciating pain. Then..." he lifted the knife, "he got desperate and tried to cut it off with this. He sliced himself up properly and severed his radial artery."

Alicia pointed at the walls. "See the arterial spatter? The wave formation is from the beating heart. The large stain with the vertical drips. You can even tell his pathway through the flat with it. He started in the kitchen, then went to the table there and then tried the door. Then he bled out and fell here." 

"Blood spatter analysis taught at MiB is it?" Ben asked. 

Alicia shrugged and said, "I watched a lot of Dexter." 

They all laughed and Jack pointed at the bracelet. "There another one?" 

Ben shook his head, but didn't look up. Gesturing in front of him, he said, "This is just the case. I'm looking for any distinguishing marks that could help identify it, but I don't see anything yet." 

The former UNIT soldier had been with Torchwood a little longer than Alicia, but he'd found his place within the team. He had a knack for the tech and was a clever field agent. Alicia was a little envious since her own role was less concrete. She'd mostly taken on many of Ianto's prior duties, which in addition to her professional attire and serious demeanor, had the men referring to her their female Ianto. It was a designation that made Jack giggle and Ianto blush for some reason, but it raised Alicia's hackles. She'd protested, but knew the team still used it behind her back. 

"Did you call John?" Jack asked. 

Ben said, "I did. He asked if we'd scrape the fleshy bits off and give it some time in the melting solution when we figure out how to get it off him. Said he'd pop round this afternoon to take a look." 

"It won't come off?" Jack asked. 

Ianto shook his head. "No. I'd cut it off now, but he's too close to reviving. We're going to have to come up with something after he's back with us." He pointed as he spoke. "We could cut the metal but I know you don't like destroying artifacts. We could probably anesthetize the arm, cut a significant amount of the flesh below the bracelet and then slide it off. Worse comes to worse, we can amputate, but I'd rather not put a new immortal through that kind of painful healing process since it'll take him so long."

"What are we going to do with him after?" Jack asked.

"Mandy's ringing some friends, see if anyone's willing to train him." 

With a sharp inhale and a series of coughs, the corpse on the floor sprang to life. His arms and legs flailed against the blood pool, splattering and flinging blood on everyone and everything. Alicia let out a small scream and cried, "Holy Hannah!"

"Eww!" Ben shouted. 

"Oh man," Jack said, staggering back. His shirt, pants and coat dotted with blood.

Ignoring the gore, Ianto grabbed Darby's shoulders and pulled him back into the kitchen, out of the pool. "Andrew! Andrew! I know it hurts, take a breath!"

With a grimace on her face, Alicia tried to help calm Darby, but Jack pulled her back, protectively. She cursed her body's reaction to the exotic scent rolling off his greatcoat in these serious circumstances. 

Ianto said, "Hey, easy does it! Andrew! You're okay!"

"Who the fuck are you people? AH! Bloody OW!" he shouted, coughing in between words. His eyes darted around and he looked terrified. "AH! What the fuck is going on?"

He tried to kick Ianto, pushing himself further and further into the corner. He grabbed his arm and squeezed hard. "A hospital! I need to go to hospital!"

He turned and vomited on the ground. 

"Andrew, listen to me carefully. I'm a medic. You're fine." He reached for Darby's arm and tried to get him to let go but he held tightly. 

"Are you mad?" Darby cradled his previously bleeding arm to his chest. He regarded Ianto's suit with suspicion. "You'll kill me!"

"Too late," Ben muttered.

Ianto shot him a glare and said, "Andrew, please, trust me."

Panting, Darby eyes wildly darted from Jack to Alicia and back to Ianto. Alicia stepped forward, slowly. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder and said, softly, "It's all right. Andrew. It's all right. Please trust us."

Fearful, he held out his arm and slowly let go. "What the..."

"See? You're fine," Ianto said, softly. "You can trust us."

Jack pulled Alicia behind him, moving her away from Darby who was barely under control. Darby's eyes were wild as he panted. He pointed at the gigantic pool of blood and the blood spattered walls. "You fucking call that fine? How am I even alive?"

"Well, about that..." Ianto began. He slowly and carefully explained immortals and the Game as Darby's eyes began to glaze over. "Andrew Darby, welcome to the Game." 

He stood up and shouted, "No! That's impossible! You're mad! You're all mad!"

He began to back away from Ianto who stood up, trying to calm him.

"Andrew, it's okay!" 

"How is this fucking okay?" he cried, waving at the pool of blood and his own blood stained clothing. 

Alicia said, "Andrew, just take a breath-"

"NO! GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" he screamed. He hugged his middle. "Oh God! Not again!" 

Frustrated, Ianto stood and held out his hands trying to calm him down. Alicia tried to help, but Ben pulled her back. He whispered in her ear, "Let them handle it."

"Hey, calm down," Jack said, softly. "It's all right." 

He reached out for Darby's arm and it was the worst thing he could've done. Darby reacted violently, shoving Jack into the wall. The plaster shattered and Jack's eyes went wide. He opened his mouth to try to say something, but Darby punched him square in the side of his head with incredible force. Jack's skull caved in under the pressure and blood spurted around Darby's fist.

Alicia screamed as Darby yanked his hand back and Jack crumpled in a heap. She cowered back as Darby continued to beat Jack's skull in. She screamed as bits of Jack's blood and brain matter flew everywhere. 

"Leave me alone! Get out! Get away! GO AWAY!" Darby yelled. His eyes flashed with madness. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! ALL YOUR FAULT!" 

Ianto drew his stun gun, standing between the mortals and Darby. He pushed the gun into Darby's shoulder. The man jerked back with a scream. Alicia dropped to the floor and dragged Jack away. The stun gun didn't have its desired effect. Instead, Darby shouted and fled out the open flat door. Ben bolted after him. 

"Ben! Don't!" Ianto shouted. 

He started for the door, but Alicia shouted, "IANTO!" 

Ianto turned. Jack was still alive! 

"Cachu!" Ianto dove for his husband. He retrieved the knife strapped to his ankle and quickly severed the arteries and veins in Jack's neck. In seconds, the immortal man stilled. 

Her hands shaking, Alicia sat back. She began frantically wiping the blood off on her black skirt. 

"Shhh, hey, hey, it's all right," Ianto said. He gathered her into his arms. "Breathe, Alicia. Breathe..."

She took a single, shaky breath and closed her eyes against the gory sight. Whirling, she planted her hands on the worktop. The blood made them sticky. Ianto's arms came around her from behind, squeezing her tightly. The feel of his body pressed against her was oddly comforting. 

"Shhhh," he said, softly. "I've got you." 

She took a deep shaky breath, and then another. 

"That's it," he said. He ran his hand over her hair. "Good girl." 

Normally, such a diminutive would've royally pissed her off, but somehow, out of Ianto's mouth it was soothing. He guided her to the sink. She heard the sound of the tap and then felt a wet tea towel on her hands. Ianto continued to soothe. "Shh, it's all right." 

She opened her eyes and took the tea towel from him. "Thanks. Sorry, I've seen him die... seen all of you do it... just never like this... not this... this..." 

"Graphic," Ianto said, nodding. "I know."

He tried to pull her into an embrace, but she shook her head. "I'm okay now."

After a deep breath, she stepped back and went to the sink to more thoroughly wash her hands. She turned to look and then raised the back of her hand to her mouth, feeling her stomach almost protest. Immediately she looked away. Her voice trembled, "How did he do that?"

"I don't know," Ianto said. He took off his already ruined suit jacket and draped it over what was left of Jack's face.

"You couldn't do that, could you? Or Miranda?" Alicia asked. 

"No," he said, frowning. "I'm young and my score is very low, but I don't think Mandy could either. We might be faster and stronger, but we're more like a well trained athlete than Superman."

Alicia said, "One of those insane body builders could probably do it, but that's definitely not Andrew Darby." 

Ianto raised an eyebrow at her. "How do you know that? I'm the one around here who's supposed to know everything." 

"There was a whole YouTube video about it after the Mountain killed Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones."

"What?" Ianto asked. 

"You haven't seen Game of Thrones? Are you living under a rock?" she said. 

"Well, the Hub is underground," Ianto deadpanned and Alicia couldn't help but smile. His expression softened. "You all right now?" 

"Yeah, just shaky," she said. "It was gruesome on TV, and I never thought I'd see something like that up close and personal." 

Before Ianto could answer, Ben came back into the room, out of breath.

"I lost him. Bollocks!"

Ianto rounded on him. "I ordered you to stay put." He gestured at Jack's body. "We take point in all dangerous situations and that's why."

Ben leaned forward. "Oi, you didn't give chase! What was I supposed to do?"

Alicia stepped back. She was getting used to Ianto shouting at Ben. 

Ianto said, "You were supposed to follow orders! Orders that keep you from getting your ruddy face caved in! Even if those orders mean letting someone get away!" 

Ben took a breath to answer, looking like he was going to argue, but Ianto cut him off. "What manner of gigantic bell end are you? Because it's pretty fucking stupid to go chasing after someone who just smashed your boss's head in with his bare hands when there are people here who can  _come back to life_!" Ianto leaned aggressively forward. "What was your plan for when you caught up to him, eh? You reckon you'd do what? Tell him to halt and he'd just come along quietly?"

Ben didn't answer.

"You're bloody well lucky he got away otherwise I'd be scraping you into a fucking body bag, I would! Next time I tell you to stay put, you fucking stay put, Private!"

Ben opened his mouth, but Ianto cut him off. 

"Don't! You're on Weevil duty for a month."

Ben opened his mouth again and Ianto barked, "That's two months. Want to go for three? Because you keep this up and it'll be a suspension of field clearance too!"

Thankfully, Ben fell silent, looking from Ianto to Alicia and back again. Alicia could tell Ben was seething, but was carefully trying to avoid any eye contact.

Alicia cleared her throat and said, "We still got to find him. He could kill someone. Like, for real."

"We will find him," Ianto said. He turned to Ben. "Go downstairs and bring up the body bag and the trolley for Jack. There are some clothes in the SUV boot for me and Alicia." 

Ben hesitated and Ianto pounced. "Oi! That wasn't a fucking request! The only reason you should be standing there, soldier, is if you're a deaf fucking pensioner! Now, move!"

With an angry look, Ben stormed off. Once he was gone, Ianto turned to her and said, "I'm sorry. I know that was uncomfortable, but he responds better when he's disciplined in front of others."

"It's okay, sir," she said. She stared down at Jack's covered body. 

Concerned, Ianto put his hand on her arm. "Are you all right?" 

She jumped and said, "Sorry. Yeah I'm okay. I think."

"He'll be back," he whispered. 

She snapped, "Because saying that he's going to come back to life really normalizes this whole situation." She paused and shook her head. "Sorry, sir."

"It's all right. It's not something easy to get used to," Ianto said. He took out his mobile and dialed. "Darby's a newborn. I'm going to need Mandy. I can't handle this on my own." 

_The weirdest fucking terms for someone who died and came back to life for the first time_ , she thought as Ianto dialed his phone. 

"Yeah, Mandy. It's me... I'm sorry to ring on your day off..." 

Alicia mostly tuned out his conversation and avoided looking at Jack. Once she heard him say his goodbyes, she returned her attention to him. 

"What'd Miranda say?" 

"She said we should alert the Watchers. She's going to call Kiernan and wants me to wait for her to ring back." 

Ben returned with the trolley, and he and Ianto began shifting Jack to the body bag. Alicia couldn't believe the icy looks Ben was tossing Ianto. His flat out insubordination and disrespect of a superior were shocking to her. Perhaps it was why Ben was working for Torchwood and no longer with UNIT. She couldn't imagine someone with Ben's attitude lasting long in a military environment, but even though Ben was rough with everyone, his combativeness seemed directed at Ianto specifically and she had no idea why. It was almost like he wanted to get the sack and wake up in hospital wondering why he couldn't remember the past few months of his life. 

They wheeled Jack down to the SUV and put him gently into the boot. Ianto straightened and his mobile rang. "Mandy? What did Kiernan say?... Right... Right... What? No, that's not enough time... But Jack's died and I need to get him back to the Hub and set up. It's a bad one. I'm going to need at least an hour or two to get him set up... Yeah... Yeah... Text me... Yup... I'll hurry... Right, bye."

To Alicia's surprise, Ianto unzipped the body bag and took a quick photo of Jack's crushed skull with his mobile. He turned to Ben and Alicia. "Let's get back to the Hub. Mandy's set up a meeting with the Watchers soon. I have to get Jack settled and I don't have a lot of time to do it. You two are going to have to help me."

"Ben and I can handle it, sir," Alicia said. 

He gave her a skeptical look. 

"We've got it. We've both done it a few times now under your supervision. We can handle it alone," Ben said. He held his hand out for the keys. "It's okay. Go. We can take care of Jack." 

Reluctantly, Ianto passed the SUV keys to Ben. "The drug protocol is listed in the computer along with all the dosages. Everything is in a kit in the med bay-"

"Marked Code Black, I know. I do have half a brain," Ben said. "C'mon, Allie. Let's get Jack set up in the cells with some good drugs."

Ianto swallowed hard, looking at the body bag. He whispered, "I'll be there soon, cariad."

Alicia reached out for his hand and squeezed. "We'll take care of him."

He smiled at her. "I know you will."

Alicia watched as he walked away, admiring his posture and the excellent tailoring of the suit hugging his body. 

"Oi, stop admiring Ianto's arse and lets go. I know we've got plenty of time but this is our first time doing this on our own, so it might take longer than both of us think to get it all sorted," Ben said. 

Alicia nodded and walked around the car to the wrong side. "Fuck! I'm never going to get used to this. Why can't you people drive on the right side of the road?"

Ben rolled his eyes at her. "Every culture has its idiosyncrasies. You lot have Imperial measures, we drive on the left and fucking love tradition."

"Americans love tradition too." She pointed towards the water and said, "I tossed some tea in the bay when I got here." 

"This is Wales, not England," Ben said, rolling his eyes at her. "And when you lot start having a walk in the freezing cold on Christmas, then we'll talk." 

"Why would you go for a walk in the middle of winter? Do you guys really get that drunk?" she asked.

"Tradition," Ben said. 

Alicia frowned, not understanding the reference and made a mental note to google it later. Once in the car an awkward silence descended, the same way it always did when Alicia was alone with Ben. 

A week after she'd arrived in Cardiff, Ben had asked her out to dinner. She'd thought it was going to be a friendly outing so the two newest team members could get to know each other. Looking back on it, she should've realized it was a date.

Alicia and Ben were both living in the staterooms, so Ben had only walked across the hallway and knocked on her door. When she'd opened it, he'd passed her a small flower. She'd thought it a tiny joke at the time, not romantic. The restaurant had been a small bistro, but she hadn't found it particularly romantic. Candles and flowers were on the tables of most restaurants. She and Ben had laughed and talked and had a great time. In fact, it was the most fun she'd had since her whole life had fallen apart. When they'd gotten back to the Hub, they'd lingered at Alicia's door, chatting. And that was when the evening became the latest incident in a long list of grossly misinterpreted social situations. 

Ben had leaned in to kiss her. 

Alicia had been so shocked, she'd fled into her room without a word. The next morning, Ben had apologized, unable to look her in the eye. Without giving Alicia a chance to respond, he'd walked away, and things had been the definition of awkward ever since. What had made it worse was how two days after their disastrous "date," Ben had started some sort of low carb diet. It didn't take a shrink to realize the chubby young man must have some body image issues Alicia's rejection had exacerbated. 

But Alicia hadn't rejected Ben because of his plain looks or the extra weight he carried. Sure, he wasn't her usual type, but she had enough fun she might've considered giving things a shot if her life wasn't a total train wreck. She was a hot mess. She told everyone she hadn't had time to look for a flat, but she was  living in the Hub to keep things light. She didn't need to sort out meals or clean a large space. She'd even managed to get Ianto to take care of her work clothes by asking him to drop them with his dry cleaning. The last thing she wanted to admit was how overwhelmed and depressed she was. 

A gentle throat clear brought her head up. He asked, hesitantly, "Are you all right?" 

Alicia nodded. "Just a little shaken up." 

The uncomfortable silence fell again and Alicia stared out the window. She could feel Ben glancing at her every once in a while. She was trying her best not to squirm, because all she wanted to do was disappear whenever they were alone together. The right thing to do would be to talk to Ben and explain, but she just didn't have the wherewithal for the uncomfortable conversation. She'd taken to avoiding him. _Turning into my fucking mother..._

That was enough to get her to pluck up some courage. She shifted in her seat and said, "Ben... uhh... can we talk?" 

"Uhh, sure..."

She was glad they were in a car so she didn't have to think about eye contact. "About that night... I just wanted to apologize." 

"What for?" Ben asked.

"For how I reacted," Alicia said. 

Ben shrugged. Alicia might not be looking straight at him, but she could hear the hurt in his voice. "It's fine. You don't have to apologize for anything."

"I do," she said, softly. "I think you may have taken my reaction the wrong way." 

Ben cleared his throat, and craned his neck, checking the traffic. "Give me a minute."

He pulled the SUV over and engaged the handbrake. He left the engine running and rotated in his seat towards her. "Look, you've known me long enough to know I say what I mean without the sugar coating. I get a lot of folk don't like that-"

"I find it refreshing," she said. 

"Well most people think I'm a tosser. And that's one of the reasons why I fancy you," Ben said. He shifted his eyes to the clock in the SUV's dash. Sadly, he continued, "You're proper fit, and you're totally out of my league, but nothing venture nothing gained. I know I don't look like Ianto or Jack or anything like what's usually considered a good looking bloke for that matter-"

"Ben-"

"Let me finish," he said gently. "I get there are plenty of people out there who'd fancy me, because I've dated a fair few of them already, but they're not here and I don't fancy them. I fancy you. You don't feel the same, and that's fine. I'm not as broken up about it as you seem to think I am. I'm just a wee bit embarrassed, is all. I thought we had a nice night out."

"We did, Ben, but..." Alicia trailed off. She was about to launch into a small speech about Ben was handsome and awesome, but stopped. "Yeah, I tend to go for guys like Ianto or Jack, and I was about to apologize for that, or tell you some other lip service, but I'm sure you've heard that kind of thing a million times-"

"I have. Look, I'm not trying to body shame myself here, but you can't make yourself find someone attractive and sexy," Ben finished. "I always think when people insist everyone has to see someone chubby and hairy like me as sexy to be idiotic. It's like forcing a gay man to be straight. If you don't like chubby and hair, you just don't. The same way if you don't like dick you don't like dick. It just doesn't work." 

Alicia frowned. Ben seemed fine with what had happened and not overly hurt by it. So why were things so fucking awkward?

As if he'd read her mind, Ben said, "Things are weird between us because every time we get alone like this, you act like you want to crawl out of your own skin. I mean, I get I tried to kiss you but I'm not that sort of-"

"I never thought that!" Alicia cried, offended. She buried her face in her hands. Great, Ben thought she thought he was some sort of sexual predator. She took a deep breath. "I don't think you'd ever do something like that, Ben. Ever. I just... I felt really guilty afterwards."

"What? Why?" Ben asked. He laughed. 

"Well, after you apologized-which you totally didn't need to do, by the way-things just felt weird still and then you started that diet-"

"My diet? Oh the low carb thing?" Ben asked. 

"Yeah, you started dieting. I thought I'd hurt your feelings." 

"I started dieting because my initial physical's bloodwork showed I'm pre-diabetic. Ianto says my something or other is a wee bit too high. He suggested I follow a low carb diet and that maybe trying and losing some weight would knock it out before it started," Ben said. 

Alicia's head fell back and knocked the headrest behind her. She closed her eyes and banged it a few times. Could she get any more socially oblivious? "Well, aren't I a winner lately." 

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Allie. I mean, I can see how it looked from your end. I just don't understand why you didn't just talk to me," Ben said. 

"Because I totally fucking thought I'd crushed your self-esteem," Alicia blurted. 

"You think a bloke that looks like me isn't used to rejection?" Ben laughed.

She glared at him.

"All right, all right. Too soon, I get it," he said, smiling. "What I didn't understand, at all, was how you didn't realize it was a date. I mean, I showed up with a flower for you." 

"I thought you were being facetious," Alicia said, mortified. 

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Well, I wasn't." 

"Well, obviously I realize that now!" she said, waving towards the windscreen. She collapsed back and began banging her head against the headrest lightly again. "Argh, what the fuck is wrong with me!" 

Ben reached out and touched her arm. "Hey, don't do that. Look, I still fancy you, and I get that you don't fancy me, but that's no reason for us to not be friends. In fact, it'll help me move you back into my friend-zone. C'mon, Allie, talk to me."

"I hate it when people call me Allie," she admitted. 

"Sorry, I'll try and stop," he said. 

"I've been letting you do it because I felt bad," she confessed. 

Ben laughed. "Well, you might be stuck with it in that case. C'mon, what's wrong?" 

"Apparently, I can't interpret any fucking social situation correctly!" she blurted. She held out her hand and started counting off points on it. "I totally thought we were going out as friends. I totally thought I'd crushed your self-esteem. I totally thought Ianto was asking me to have a threesome with him and Jack, twice." 

Ben's eyes went as wide as saucers. "You what?" 

Alicia closed her eyes. "Fucking tell me I didn't just say that out loud." 

"Yeah, you did. Thanks for that deposit into my wank bank, though," he said, laughing. He waggled his eyebrows at her in a Jack-like manner. "Didn't realize you were into a good spit-roast." 

Alicia's entire face began to burn. "I really am too screwed up to live." 

Ben reached over and put his hand on her arm. "Hey, don't talk like that. You don't really think that, do you?" When she didn't respond, he said, eyes wide and full of concern, "Alicia, c'mon, that kind of talk really scares me!" 

"The reason I turned you down is because I'm a fucking mess, my whole fucking life is a mess. I'm in no shape to date anyone. I can barely manage myself right now," she blurted. 

He reached out for her hand. "I get it. Look, I don't know the details, but I know you didn't come here because you were keen on the weather. You're messed up right now and even if you weren't messed up, I'm not your type. I get it." 

Alicia nodded. "No you're not, but if I wasn't so fucked up I'd normally go out on a few dates and see where it went, but I've been so fucked up all I've wanted to do is shove my head in the fucking sand and not think about anything." 

Ben asked, softly. "You want to talk about it? I mean, I'm really worried about you now." He swallowed hard and asked, gently, "You're not really thinking about hurting yourself are you?" 

She bolted up. "No, I'm not. Why would you think that?"

"Because you just said you were too screwed up to live and you're obviously fighting some depression." He looked down at their joined hands and let go. "My uncle talked like that a lot. Used to tell me how he couldn't ever get it together enough to make it through life and how he was just too much of a wreck to live... Then, few years back, he... he hung himself." 

Alicia brought her hand to her mouth. "Oh, shit, Ben, I'm sorry! I didn't know." 

"It's all right, I just... I get people sometimes just say things like that, but maybe, if I'd got to paying more attention to when he talked like that, I maybe could've done something. Gotten him some help or-" 

"It's not your fault, Ben." 

"I know. I know." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anything. "But I pay attention now. You're sure you're all right?" 

Alicia nodded. "I mean, I'm not all right, but I'm not suicidal. I promise." 

Ben nodded, but clearly didn't believe her. "Listen, if you ever need to talk, don't forget, I'm just across the hall, okay? Anytime, I won't care. And I promise I won't think it's a booty call."

Alicia let out a sad laugh. "Thanks, Ben." 

"Not a problem," he said with a soft smile. "Let's get Jack back to the Hub before he wakes up, yeah?"

Alicia nodded. "Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

The office building where the Watchers wanted to meet wasn't far, so Ianto decided to walk. He wanted Ben and Alicia to get Jack back to the Hub as fast as possible, and dropping him off would be a trip in the opposite direction. As he approached the undistinguished office building, a pressure formed in his head. When he looked up, Miranda was standing on the pavement.

Ever since the return of John Hart, Miranda had changed. She was settled and grounded in a way he hadn't thought possible. A glow of happiness radiated off of her. She was standing, her head lightly tilted upwards. Her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the warmth of the sun.

"Mandy, I'm sorry I interrupted your day off with John," he said.

She shrugged. "It's all right, Ifan. It happens." 

He opened the door and gestured for Miranda to step through. "Ladies first." 

When they walked into the lobby, they ignored the directory listing. Ianto allowed Miranda to lead the way, since she seemed to know where she was going. She led him up to the top floor, and walked down to the fourth door on the right. She knocked three times, then waited.

A man opened the door, wearing a plain button down shirt and jeans. He gestured them forward, holding up a metal detector wand. "With your permission?"

She nodded and gestured at Ianto. He had his sword, his Torchwood sidearm, his usual stun gun, and an additional knife. He winced at the bit of Jack's blood still on the metal. As usual, Miranda was armed to the teeth. She laid her sword and then her own Glock onto the table followed by three small blades and a knife. 

Once the weapons were laid out, the wand passed over them. It beeped at both of them and they all received generous pat downs. The guard found the small blade inside the Ianto's belt buckle. Miranda's search caused two more small blades to join her pile. Ianto was surprised the guard had found any. The security guard smirked at her and she gave him a shrug, batted her eyelids at him and said, "I must've forgotten them."

Still smiling, he escorted them through the doors. Though Ianto was Torchwood's second in command, they were on Game territory and Miranda was the superior. As his teacher, she walked a few steps in front of him into the office area.

It was abandoned. There wasn't a stick of furniture anywhere. Disconnected wires stuck up out of the carpet and some of the ceiling tiles were shifted out of the way. Cables and wires hung everywhere. The carpet was dirty, with bits of ceiling mess fallen on it. There were depressions where the cubicle walls had once stood, and cleaner, brighter sections of carpet that once had desks covering them. Standing off to the side were their Watchers, Shawn Graham and Kiernan Davies. Each had a man standing behind them, large and burly, like the man who'd searched them. Out of place was a fourth older man, possibly edging into his eighties. There were deep lines etched around his eyes and his white hair was closely cropped. He was dressed in a bespoke suit. His hands were in his pockets and he looked too relaxed. 

"Ah, good morning, Doctor Ryan, Mr. Jones," he asked. He focused on Miranda. "Or would you prefer Ms. Chen? Forgive me, there are so many to choose from."

Ianto noted the Welsh accent.

Miranda paused a moment and then said, "Doctor Ryan is fine. You are?"

"I'm Phillip Barrie. The Tribunal recently appointed me to oversee all Watcher operations within the British Isles." He gestured around the room. "I hope you understand that all this is most irregular."

"I understand that, Mr. Barrie, but this is an irregular situation. I trust you are aware of Torchwood and its mandate."

"To protect the British Empire from alien threats and arm us for the future," he replied. "The twenty-first century is where everything changes, as your Captain Harkness would say."

This was going better than Ianto thought it would.

Miranda nodded. "Cardiff sits on a rift in time and space. This morning, the rift opened at approximately eight thirty. A small artefact fell through and was discovered by a Mr. Andrew Darby before Torchwood was able to intercept. The device-a small arm cuff-attached itself to Mr. Darby. In a desperate attempt to remove it with a kitchen knife, Mr. Darby accidentally sliced through a major artery and died from exsanguination."

"And I take it you are informing us because Mr. Darby is an immortal of the Game," Barrie replied, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. 

Ianto stepped forward. He said, "He is. Upon entering his flat, I felt his presence. He revived before my eyes and took off with the alien device still attached to his arm." 

Barrie barely nodded in acknowledgement and turned back to Miranda. "Excuse me, Doctor Ryan-if I may use your current alias-but I fail to understand why you're involving us in what's clearly a Torchwood matter."

Ianto spoke again, "The alien device has enhanced Darby's physical strength beyond that of any human being." He took his mobile phone from his pocket and brought up the picture of Jack's head. "He did this to Captain Harkness with simple blows from his fists." 

Barrie leaned in and made a mildly interested noise. He said, "And you'd like us to do what, exactly?"

Ianto frowned. "He's dangerous, to the mortals of Cardiff and the Game. I've already told him the truth-the Game and his immortality. If we're to protect people, we have to find him and remove the device." 

Miranda said, "Darby is a danger to everyone in Cardiff, mortal and immortal alike." 

Barrie shrugged. "I think, Doctor Ryan, you've misinterpreted our role."

She said, "I'm not asking for interference-"

"In fact, you are. You're asking us to report on the movements and location of another game piece, currently in play-"

"I have no intentions of taking Darby's head-"

"Regardless of your intentions, Doctor Ryan, to assist you or Mr. Jones in locating this game piece would be clear interference."

"Then I shall bring Captain Harkness here once he has revived to make the request."

"But you and Mr. Jones would benefit from that information," Barrie countered. "And Captain Harkness's status is still, shall way say, murky?"

Ianto watched Miranda roll her shoulders. There was a murderous look in her eye.

"Mr. Barrie, the safety of innocents is at stake here."

Barrie's voice started out level, but it slowly rose, getting louder as he carefully enunciated each word which became a stab by the time he was done speaking. "Doctor Ryan, as I've said, I believe you have misinterpreted the role of the Watchers. Yes, we assisted Men in Black to dig you out of a Mexican grave, but only to protect the Game. Our only concern is the Game. We observe. We do not interfere. Everything else is superfluous even your little alien device problem. Whether or not it's on the arm of an immortal of the Game is immaterial."

"It garners him unfair advantage," Ianto said.

"Ah." Barrie raised his hand, pointing at the ceiling. "You do have a point there, Mr. Jones. But removing cheaters and those who engage in unsportsmanlike behaviour from the Game is not part of the Watcher repertoire. Immortals police their own. And on that note, so do we."  

Without warning, Barrie drew a gun. He held it up to Kiernan's head and pulled the trigger. Kiernan crumpled as the blood and brain sprayed Shawn Graham. A spurt fountained up from the hole in Kiernan's forehead and pooled around him as his fingers twitched. Ianto cried out and Miranda threw her arm out to stop him from striding forward. In a low voice, she hissed, "You can't help either of them."

Shawn remained frozen in place, but the man standing behind him seized him by the arms anyway. Shawn shut his eyes, his mouth a thin line and his hands fisted as he quaked with fear.

Barrie gestured as he spoke. "You see, Doctor Ryan, we're all standing here because you rang Mr. Davies, lying on the floor there, and requested this meeting. That phone call, in and of itself, speaks to the level of inappropriateness in your relationship. Had that been the extent of it, that hole in Mr. Davies's head could've been avoided. But that wasn't the first time Mr. Davies's actions have been called into question. No. There have been numerous accusations of interference and his behaviour has had him on our radar for some time. Even before he became your Watcher, truth be told, he had an abnormal fixation with you." He gestured with the gun as he spoke. "You know, Doctor Ryan, I've decided I dislike your Alias. Perhaps we should go back to the beginning to Yi Mei-Xiu."

Miranda didn't answer, only gazed at Barrie through hooded eyes.

"We've suspected for some time that you are indeed the female companion to the Horsemen, the so-called Whore of Babylon, and we've also suspected that Mr. Davies knew of that identity but withheld it from your chronicle."

Barrie traded a handkerchief with one of the other men for his gun and began wiping his hands of blood. He tossed the soiled cloth onto Kiernan's body and took the gun back. He shifted and stood in front of Shawn. 

She grabbed Ianto's arm and whispered, "Don't."  

"Now, we've come to the reason I've allowed this meeting," Barrie said. He turned to the two immortals and gestured at Kieran's body. "Our previous policies on so called 'grey areas' of interference were, shall we say, somewhat lax. It has led to certain difficulties we'd like to avoid in the future. I'm very sorry to have had to make an example of Mr. Davies, here, but we would like for every Watcher to know this sort of chronicle tampering will not be tolerated." He shifted his gaze to Miranda and Ianto. "And we'd like for every immortal to understand the full breadth of their actions. As of now, I believe Mr. Graham has learned a valuable lesson about the importance of appropriate chronicling and maintaining an appropriate relationship with one's game piece. As I hope so have the two of you. Doctor Ryan, Mr. Jones, I trust you will cease placing our personnel into these sorts of awkward positions. There are no more grey areas. There is only interference and non-interference. There is the truth and there are lies. There is breathing and then there is... well... not." He gestured at Kieran's body. He gave Miranda a cruel smile. "As trained medical professionals, Doctor Ryan, Mr. Jones, I trust you can both clearly distinguish between the two." 

Miranda gave him a terse nod. Ianto narrowed his eyes and nodded only when Miranda slapped his arm.

"Splendid. Bye-bye, then." 

Barrie made no move to leave, but Miranda began pulling Ianto back. "We need to go." 

"Mandy-"

"Now!"

Out on the street and in possession of their weapons, Ianto grabbed Miranda and said, "Kiernan is dead! All because we went to him for help!" 

She shook off his grip and said, "And may the Gods guide him to the afterlife. Kiernan knew the price for his actions. I have given him every opportunity, at every turn, to make the right choices. Instead, he chose to toe a line. When he discovered my true identity, he decided to cross it. I am sorry he is dead, Ifan, but his blood is not on our hands. He dug his own grave." 

"Do you think they'll kill Shawn?" Ianto asked, tilting his head upwards. 

"No, but he probably won't be your Watcher anymore," Miranda replied.

Ianto shook his head, still reeling. "You said they'd kill, but... I had no idea..." 

"There is nothing we can do. We came here for the express purpose of soliciting the Watchers' help with locating Andrew Darby and we didn't get it. What happened to Kiernan, the threats made to Shawn, those are things we have no control over. We must focus on our true objective. Andrew Darby still has the alien device attached to his arm. He is still a threat to the people of this city. And he is an enhanced immortal of the Game." 

Ianto shook his head. "I have to find out if Shawn's okay." 

"Ifan, focus. If you try to contact him, you'll put him in even greater danger," she warned. "You'll be cementing their suspicions about your relationship. And while I barely spoke to my Watcher, Shawn is at even greater risk because he's your friend." 

Ianto swore in Welsh, then said, "I know." He growled with frustration and then made as if to walk away, but turned back. "What do you want me to do now?"

"I want you to go to Jacob Rosen's shop. Warn him about Darby and let him know that we need to find him," Miranda said. "Warn him about what happened to Kiernan too." 

"The man is physically in his seventies, Mandy. You can't honestly-"

"No, Ifan, I do not want you to solicit his help. I only want you to warn him. Jacob is a good man. I want him wary for his own protection," she said. 

"Yeah, I'll do that. I'll be back at the Hub soon." Without another word, he walked away, briskly. 

* * *

Shawn watched Barrie pace slowly back and forth. Like his girlfriend, Ashley Greenfield, Phillip Barrie was a legacy Watcher. Barrie's father had been a Watcher and his father before him and so on. Shawn had no idea how many generations it went back, but for him to be promoted to regional manager for all of the British Isles, it had to be far. When Shawn had first learnt about legacy Watchers, he'd assumed it was a relatively rare phenomenon, but it was far more common than he'd thought. The farther you wanted to rise in the Watchers, the farther back in your family tree they had to be able to find Watchers. Ashley could count back at least four generations, which meant she had a fair shot at a local management position. Being first generation and having a blight on his record, Shawn had absolutely no chance at being anything more than a grunt and that was fine with him. Some people within the organization were ambitious and had their sights on higher positions, enjoying the political game, but not Shawn.

When he'd been a kid in Philadelphia, he'd ditched school. He'd been wasting time behind this abandoned warehouse, hitting cans with a baseball bat in time to the sound of metal clanging from inside. When the lightning had happened, he'd been terrified. What was left of the warehouse windows had blown out and the nearby transformers had exploded in a shower of sparks. He'd heard someone screaming, but at the time he wasn't sure if it had been him or not.

When the limping man had emerged from the warehouse, he'd been bleeding heavily from a gash across his face. Shawn had peered around the corner, frightened and curious. He'd watched, wide eyed, as the gash had healed itself and the man's limp had vanished as he'd walked away. What had captured Shawn's interest the most had been the sword he'd been wiping. Curiosity had gotten the better of him and he'd entered the warehouse. The beheaded body had startled him, but as he circled it, he couldn't take his eyes of of it. Another man had called out to him and told him he should be in school. Shawn had gotten cheeky and the guy had laughed. He'd handed Shawn a business card with a funny crooked V inside of a circle. He'd told Shawn that if he ever wanted to find out what had happened here, that he should get his ass back in school, get some decent grades, maybe join the military for a while, and then call him. 

So that was precisely what Shawn had done. 

Once he'd gotten out of the Navy and finished his degree, he'd shown up to the address on the card and his whole world changed. Shawn loved his job. He felt like he was a part of something bigger than himself for the first time in his life. The Watchers meant something to him. They were his family, albeit a totally dysfunctional and fucked up one that was occasionally homicidal. 

Because Shawn had little chance of advancing within the organization, he paid almost no attention to its internal politics. So when two members of the Tribunal died, he did nothing but note it in the back of his mind. He didn't even know who'd replaced them, but he took notice when the wide spread changes had started across the organization.

Of course, the Watchers were an unbelievably old and worldwide secret society, but when you boiled it down, they were a job like any other. Occasionally, he'd have to go to London for sexual harassment training, or electronic security training, or drug and alcohol awareness training, or some other ridiculous waste of time. He'd get boring e-mails about changes to which form he was to fill out for this or that. There was the odd e-mail about donating to so and so's retirement gift fund or to send flowers to so and so's mother's funeral or the rotating holiday schedule. He'd have to show up for retraining exercises or have meetings about proper procedure because someone else had cocked up so they all had to suffer. 

So when nearly all the forms Shawn had to fill out changed and he was getting procedure update memos every few days instead of once in a blue moon, he took notice. The most startling changes had been the shifting of upper management. Some people, like Shawn's own regional manager, had announced an abrupt early retirement. Some were shuffled to other areas of the world, like Phillip Barrie.

The move to the British Isles had been a significant promotion from Alberta, Canada for Barrie. Despite Shawn's head in the sand attitude and the fact that Barrie was the regional manager for another part of the world, Shawn had heard of him and rarely in a positive context. He wasn't know for his flexibility or leniency, and had a reputation for sociopathic behavior. Shawn tried not to give the more sensational stories too much credit-they did come from professional storytellers, after all. However, it was no secret that Barrie preferred to carry out executions himself and that he had one of the highest execution rates. 

At first, Shawn had wanted to give Barrie the benefit of the doubt with regards to madness, but he'd seen the evidence with his own eyes now. There'd been a slight relaxation in Barrie's shoulders and around his eyes right before he'd pulled the trigger and ended Kiernan's life. When he'd looked down at Kiernan's body, the appropriate description for Barrie's expression was chuffed to bits. So, as Barrie slowly paced back and forth, staring at his own feet, Shawn tried to keep calm and remain silent.

Despite Barrie's penchant for the insane, he had a reputation for being remarkably fair. If Barrie intended to kill him, Shawn would already be laying next to Kiernan with a hole in his own head. But he wasn't, so it was likely Shawn would be walking out of here. What form and shape his life would take afterwards was a different matter, but at least there would be a life so Shawn could cross that bridge when he came to it. 

He flicked his gaze to Kiernan's body. The blood pool had stopped widening and what hadn't seeped into the rug was congealing. The crotch of Kiernan's jeans was dark, stained when he'd pissed himself as he'd died. Thankfully, the fingers of Kiernan's hand had stopped their lifeless twitching. Shawn swallowed hard and brought his eyes back to Barrie.  

After Barrie had become their regional manager, Shawn had sat Kiernan down for a serious talk about what he'd found out about Miranda's chronicle and Adam Pierson. He'd pleaded with his friend to take it to the repair department, but Kiernan wouldn't listen and continued doing the odd bit of research at the Watcher library in London. He insisted he was operating under the radar, but Shawn knew better. He'd heard rumors about Kiernan being placed on review. That should've been a gigantic fucking warning to his friend.

While Shawn had the odd drink or meal with Ianto, he never did anything that could be considered interference. To make sure he couldn't be accused of interference or chronicle tampering, Shawn had been recording every second he spent with Ianto and sending it up the chain. He'd felt like a tosser about it, but now that Kiernan was dead, he knew he'd made the right decision. 

Barrie finally spoke. "So what shall we do with you, Mr. Graham?"

Shawn lifted his head. "That's up to you, sir."

"Quite correct. Despite your little snag with Coleton Graves, your performance with Ifan of Cymru has been exceptional. Normally I would lecture you on the highly inappropriate nature of your friendship with Mr. Jones, but we have full disclosure in the form of your recordings," Barrie said. He gave Shawn a smile that made his blood chill. 

"Yes, sir."

"I needn't tell you, Mr. Graham, what a dangerous and, shall we say, potentially deadly tightrope it is that you're walking." He turned back to Shawn, his hands in his pockets. 

"No, sir."

"Yet, it still requires saying," Barrie said. He began bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You know where the line is, Mr. Graham." He glanced at Kiernan's body. "I trust you understand the consequences if you cross it now that things have been spelled out to you. Know that I dislike repeating myself."

Shawn nodded. "Yes, sir."

Barrie began to slowly pace again. "One of our great traditions is the creative freedom we allow our chroniclers. We are, after all, simple biographers-storytellers, if you will." 

"Yes, sir." 

"That creative element is essential to what we do. It was easier before that debacle with James Horton and his band of rogues. More of them know about us now than ever before, and with this brave new world brings new challenges to our work." Barrie stopped and turned to Shawn again. "Though it adds depth to your chronicling, I trust you understand what a slippery slope this friendship with Ifan of Cymru can be." 

"Yes, sir." 

Barrie gave him another chilling smile. He wagged his finger at the man standing behind him who unrolled a body bag for Kiernan. "Let us hope then that that slope doesn't slide you straight into one of these, shall we?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Good lad," Barrie said. He patted Shawn gently on the arm. "I know there have been changes amongst us, Mr. Graham, some would say not for the better, but change is not the enemy. The Tribunal would like to examine the merits of friendship between game piece and Watcher. Therefore, we are conducting a field study of which you shall be a part." 

"Yes, sir," Graham replied, surprised.

"You will have quarterly, not annual, reviews. Ifan of Cymru's chronicle will remain permanently flagged and I will be reviewing your monthly updates personally." 

"I understand, sir." 

"Are you still romantically involved with Ashley Greenfield?" he asked.

Taken aback by the complete change of subject, Shawn said, "Uhh, yes, sir." 

"Despite the fact that she is currently in Australia with Duke Richmond and Doctor Fischer?" he asked.

Shawn paused, trying to figure out if he'd done something wrong. There were no rules against fraternization between Watchers. Shawn had had to inform the human resources department of the relationship, nothing more.

"Yes, sir," he replied.

"Long distance relationships are difficult, Mr. Graham. I admire your dedication. You two must be very much in love," he said. 

Was Barrie about to threaten Ashley? Was she in danger? He fought to maintain his composure.

"Thank you, sir," he said, wondering where this was going. 

"Do you still plan to propose marriage when she returns to Britain?" he asked. 

Shawn tried not to react. There were only two people who knew about his plans. One of them had left the room and one of them was laying on the floor with a hole in his head. "I do, sir." 

"Well, I do hope the young lady says yes," Barrie replied. He patted Shawn's shoulder. He tugged a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Shawn. "I wish you good fortune in that endeavor, Mr. Graham. You're dismissed with my apologies for the mess. Please, put in a reimbursement form for the clothing." 

Shawn accepted the cloth and began wiping at his face. When he tried to hand it back to Barrie, the other man waved him off. "Keep it."

Shawn nodded, then turned and walked to the door. He winced as he heard the body bag's zipper. A stab of guilt shot through him and he pushed back the tears. _I fucking warned you, you fucking idiot..._

By the time he got back to the flat he and Kiernan had shared, all of Kiernan's personal possessions were gone. The other man's room held nothing but its bare furniture. Shawn's own room looked untouched, but he knew better than to believe that. The first thing he did was strip off his clothes and chuck them straight in the bin. After scrubbing himself raw in the shower, his next stop was his sock drawer to check on Ashley's ring. It was still hidden in one of his socks. The next thing he did was look around for any surveillance in the flat. He didn't find any, but that didn't mean much. 

Next, he opened his bedside drawer and removed the dildo box. Shawn had owned the dildo as long as he'd been a Watcher. The worn box had a few questionable stains on it-enough to shown the item was used regularly, but not enough to be suspicious. After sliding the cover off, he took the dildo out along with its plastic tray. Concealed beneath were two burner phones and Kiernan's voice recorder. Shawn removed the phones and the voice recorder. He tossed both phones into the trash and examined the voice recorder, but saw no signs of tampering. After replacing the box, he took out his official phone and began typing out a text to Ashley. He told her what happened to Kiernan and that he was fine. He didn't expect her to answer. The second text was sent to Ianto, telling him that he was fine and would be on the Plass at exactly noon, on the paving stone. 

He sank to the floor, his elbows on his knees and the heels of his hands on his forehead. He could see straight into Kiernan's empty room. The mattress was gone and the wardrobe was empty, it's door open. Even the rug had been taken. It was like his friend had been removed from existence.

"You were so stupid, Kiernan," Shawn said. "So fucking stupid." 

His head dropped forward, forehead to his knees as he started to cry.


	4. Chapter 4

**_BANG!_ **

The sound of the Kiernan's execution played in Ianto's head as he walked towards Jacob Rosen's shop. Miranda could go on about Kiernan's reckless behavior had dug his own grave, but it hardly warranted a death sentence. Before his induction into the Game, Ianto's life hadn't been devoid of violence, but Blowfish shooting at him or alien grenades exploding was a different sort of violence. The brutality human beings could inflict upon each other always left him stunned and shaken. He still had nightmares about the countryside and he suspected he'd have nightmares about this too. The image of Kiernan's face seconds before Barrie had fired was seared into his retinas. The terror and the shock was not something Ianto would forget. Kiernan hadn't even had a chance to draw a breath. His stomach clenched at the memory and his worry for Shawn's safety made his stomach feel like rats were crawling in it.  

When his phone buzzed in his pocket, Ianto considered ignoring it, but as Torchwood's second-in-command, it wasn't the responsible option and Ianto Jones was nothing if not responsible. He compromised and his phone stayed in his pocket for another block. With a profound sigh, he took it out. He stopped dead in his tracks and nearly dropped it. It was from Shawn. 

[I'm okay. Paver at noon.]

The knot began to loosen now he knew Shawn was all right. The relief banished the rats from his stomach and Ianto took a deep breath. He looked at his watch. He had plenty of time to stop and see Jacob Rosen before then. 

As Torchwood's jack-of-all-trades, it was part of Ianto's job to visit the local pawn and consignment shops looking for any alien objects they may have missed. Usually shop owners would ring when they had something odd knowing Ianto would buy it, but the shop owners didn't catch everything. It wasn't a job that needed to be done often, but Ianto went as often as the rift permitted.

He'd been visiting Jacob Rosen's antique shop for years and had had no idea the other man was an immortal of the Game. Ianto had pitied the old widower. Every time Ianto entered Rosen's shop, Rosen would talk his ear off and try to feed him. Ianto knew he was just lonely. His wife was dead and they'd had no children. Rosen had no other family and was alone in the world. Ianto frequently visited Rosen for meals and to talk. The two would often enjoy a game of chess over tea and biscuits. 

Over the years, Ianto became fond of the old widower. The man often treated him as a surrogate son, teaching him many Jewish traditions. Rosen had been quite disappointed to learn Ianto wasn't circumcised. 

The first time he'd walked into Rosen's shop after his first death, the pressure in his forehead had been a complete surprise. Ianto had expected it to be a shop patron, but the shop had been empty. Rosen had merely smiled and offered Ianto his condolences. 

After he entered the Game, Rosen became a potential challenger and a threat to Ianto's life. As with Henry, he'd been unwilling to change his relationship with the elderly man. When the shop came into view, Ianto could feel the corners of his mouth tugging up despite the dreadful morning. The bell over the door tinkled as he stepped inside.

Reflexively, Ianto's eyes flicked to the gilded Nazi sword on its stand. In the beginning, Ianto had thought it an oddity a Jewish shopkeeper had such a piece. He understood it even less when he'd learned Rosen's first death had been in a Nazi gas chamber. Rosen's arm still bore the roughly tattooed numbers. Rosen had confided the sword was his piece of revenge, saying, "They sought to kill us all, but one of us lives on forever with its help." 

Ianto held out his hand to Rosen. "Bore da, Mr. Rosen." 

"Good morning, Ianto," Rosen said, in his light German accent. He accepted Ianto's hand. "This is a surprise. I don't usually see you on a Thursday. I'm sorry, I have nothing unusual for you today." He began to look apologetic. "I think there are still some rugelach, but they're apricot, not chocolate. I'll go put the kettle on." 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rosen, I can't stay long," Ianto said, sadly. 

"Nonsense. You have time for tea." He removed the sword from the stand in front of him and then disappeared into the back room of his shop. He shouted back, "If I didn't know any better, lad, I'd say you were sick. You like you could use a good cuppa."

A cup of tea did sound good. He stepped around the counter and passed through into the back area of the shop. He climbed the stairs to the small flat above. Rosen was setting the kettle onto the hob. Then he began arranging some pastries on a fluted plate. 

"Can I help you?" he asked, knowing Rosen would refuse. 

"No, no. Sit!" He thrust the pastries down in front of Ianto. He pinched Ianto's arm. "You're too skinny. Eat! These are not as good as my Ida would make, God rest her, but they're better than the cardboard sold in the Tesco."

He returned to the kitchen when the kettle began to whistle. In a few moments, he returned with two cups of tea, setting one down in front of Ianto. "What brings you to my door, my boy?"

Ianto sat back. "I'm afraid it's the Game."

Rosen threw his head back and laughed. He waved at his sword in the kitchen. "Ah, and you disarm a poor old man before you swoop in, eh?" 

"I wouldn't dream of it," Ianto said, smiling. He sobered and said, "There's a newborn loose."

"And you're looking for him?" Rosen replied. Still smiling, he lifted the doily on the small table between them and joked, "Well, I don't have him hidden here." 

Ianto returned the smile. "If you feel him, please ring me immediately. Mandy and I hope to find him before it's too late. Don't approach him yourself. He's dangerous, and very unstable."

Rosen waggled his hand. "Are we all not a little unstable? Don't worry, lad. I'll be cautious."

"I also want to ask how much contact you have with your Watcher," Ianto said with hesitation.

"That nice boy who loiters across the street? I invited him in after you told me why he was always there. He was excited to hear my story, you'd think his Christmas had come early. When he left, he told me it was very important to ignore him. I feel bad for him when he's stuck outside in the cold or the rain, but he never comes inside when I invite him in. At least last time he accepted the brolly I offered." 

Quietly, Ianto told Rosen of Kiernan's execution at the hands of the Watchers. Rosen's eyes went wide. He turned and spat. "Farkakt. That saddens me, but this Watcher has a point. These mortals can be used, influenced, or manipulated. What a human being will do to survive can be terrible. I've seen it." A haunted look came over Rosen's face and softly, said, "The best of us did not survive..."

He continued in a louder voice, "My Watcher told me they are protecting 'the bigger picture' but didn't even know what it is. Ridiculous." He made a dismissive grunt, he pointed at the ceiling and his sleeve fell back revealing the tattooed numbers. "Hitler had a bigger picture! Marching people into gas chambers and feeding their bodies into ovens!"

"I don't think your Watcher is in danger if you don't talk to him," Ianto said. 

"I only offer courtesies, but if it's as dangerous as you say, I shan't any longer," Rosen said.

Tilting the cup back, Ianto downed the last of his tea. "Thank you for the tea and biscuits."

As he stood up, Rosen said, with a shake of his head, "You young people-always in such a rush. Even those of us who have all the time in the world should stop and smell the roses once in a while."

Ianto shook his head as he stood and produced his phone. He showed Rosen a picture of Darby. "I wish I could stay, but I have to find him. His name is Andrew Darby."

Rosen squinted at the phone as he stood. "I will ring should I see him."

He stretched upwards to put his hand on Ianto's shoulder. "This is a horrible thing you have witnessed, my son. Are you sure that you're all right?" 

Ianto nodded even though it was a lie. Rosen didn't look like he believed him. He only squeezed Ianto's shoulder tighter. "If you need to talk, I'm here. I know what it is like to see such things. It changes you."

With a weak smile, Ianto pulled Rosen into a quick hug. "Thank you, Mr. Rosen." 

Rosen patted him on the back. He picked up the plate of pastries and took them into the kitchen. "Don't go yet, take these with you." 

Ianto knew better than to protest. "I'll bring lunch this weekend. We can have a game of chess or two."

Rosen wagged his finger at Ianto and handed him the bag. "Maybe you will finally beat me. You play well... for a faygala." He winked. 

Ianto laughed. He'd come to understand Rosen used the Yiddish slur with great affection. 

"Saturday, then?" Ianto asked. 

Rosen nodded. "Why not Friday night, if you're able? Come for Shabbos dinner. Bring that handsome man of yours. Invite the others, too, if they'd like." He waved at the shelf of Jewish antiques where the candlesticks were. "I've taught you the words. You've a lovely voice. You shall light the candles."

Ianto furrowed his brow. "But I'm not Jewish, Mr. Rosen."

Rosen winked at him again. "Nobody's perfect."

With that, Ianto dissolved into laughter.

Rosen wagged his finger at him. "See? The best medicine, is it not?"

"Yes, it is," Ianto replied. "I'll see about Friday, but I can't make any promises." 

Rosen teased, "I know a young man like you has better things to do than spend time with an old man. I'll walk you out." 

After embracing his friend, Ianto stepped out onto the pavement. He saw Rosen's Watcher across the street, standing as if waiting for a bus. Ianto had never spoken to him, but he looked all right, if a bit jumpy. He supposed having one of your coworkers murdered-and Ianto could think of no other word but murder for what had happened to Kiernan-would do that to anyone. 

Ianto turned down the street, realizing he would have to walk back to the Hub and he didn't want to. He pulled his lips back, whistled, then shouted, "Taxi!" 

The ride was short, but he'd spent more time at Rosen's shop than he'd intended and was a late getting to the Plass to meet Shawn. After handing some notes to the driver, he jogged towards the paving stone and stepped onto it. The minute Shawn came into view, Ianto threw his arms around him. 

"Thank fuck you're all right, mate," Ianto said, hugging him tightly. 

Shawn thumped him on the back. "Well, I didn't play it as fast and loose as Kiernan. I fucking warned him. Over and over..." His voice broke as he trailed off.

Ianto hugged him harder, then pulled back and said, "Oi, it's not your fault. Mandy said the same. You can't blame yourself," Ianto said. He left his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're all right. I was worried as fuck." 

"Sorry, it wasn't safe for me to say anything sooner," Shawn said.

"Mate, is this even safe?" Ianto asked, concerned. "Are they watching you? Did you check your flat for surveillance?"

"It's fine. I've got the go ahead from upstairs. They want to investigate the 'merits of friendship between game piece and Watcher'." He made quotes in the air with his fingers. "Listen, Ianto, man, I need to come clean about something."  

Ianto furrowed his brow, confused. "About what?"

"I know you were worried because you and I are friends and everything, and normally, yeah, that'd be a good reason for Barrie to add a skylight to my skull, but he didn't do that because I've been straight with everyone about this thing between us," Shawn said, waving between them. "They know we're friends. They know we hang. To make sure everything is on the up and up, I've been recording our conversations and handing them over to my supervisor." 

Ianto nodded and said, "I suspected." 

"You did?" 

"I did."

Shawn regarded him carefully. "You're not pissed? I'd be fucking pissed." 

Ianto shrugged. "Honestly mate, it doesn't bother me. If it keeps you alive, you keep on doing it." 

Ianto had always been the type to have only a few close friends and he counted Shawn amongst them. It was selfish, especially given Kiernan was dead, but Ianto hadn't wanted to lose one of the best friends he'd ever had. 

"Have you talked to Ashley?" he asked. 

Shawn nodded then tapped the side of his nose with his finger. He took out a notepad and a ball-point pen and began writing as he spoke. "I sent her a text when I texted you. She called. She'd heard about Kiernan too." He shook his head and passed the notepad to Ianto. "This is all some fucked up shit." 

_I'm recording us_

"I take it this doesn't happen often," Ianto said. Shawn passed the notepad and pen to Ianto.

He wrote on the page. _Kiernan's recording?_

Shawn shook his head and leaned over, reading the message. "You have to be colossally fucking stupid to let it go that far. And not to speak ill of the dead or nothing, but Kiernan was colossally fucking stupid. I warned him. You're saying Mao-Lin warned him. I heard a rumor he'd been put on review. Like I said, man, colossally fucking stupid." 

After accepting the notepad back, he wrote, _I got it on me. You want it?_

"Why weren't Jacob Rosen and his Watcher there?" Ianto asked. 

Ianto took the notepad and wrote. _Yes, I don't want them finding it and thinking you hid it._

"Rosen don't talk to Corey, I mean, not the way you and I do. Corey's a real stickler for the rules-a mensch as Rosen'd say. He's not interested in getting to know Rosen, though when Rosen told him his whole story, Corey about fucking creamed himself." Shawn smirked and took the notepad back, then passed the voice recorder to Ianto. "Before that, Corey was all up on his high horse about me and you. After Rosen fed him a couple dozen cookies and told him everything about his life, he called me up to apologize, said he finally understood."

Shawn wrote, _Mao-Lin's new guy's ex-FSB. Yuri Serov. He's scary AF._  

Ianto nodded, accepting the notepad. "I warned Rosen to stay away."

He wrote, _Thanks_. 

Shawn took the notepad back and said, "I'm sorry we can't help with this Darby thing."

He wrote,  _This phone number’s clean, but I can only get away with using it once, maybe twice. Emergencies only._

Ianto nodded his thanks and slipped it into the pocket with Kiernan's voice recorder. Shawn went to write something, but changed his mind, then put the notebook away.

"It's all right. We'll find him." 

"Be careful with that shit, Ianto," Shawn warned. 

Ianto nodded. "I will. You watch out, mate." 

"You too, man. You too," Shawn said. Abruptly, he turned and hopped off the paving stone. 

Ianto took out his PDA and hit the button to make the lift descend. Now that he'd seen Shawn was okay with his own eyes, he felt better. He checked his watch, turning his thoughts to Jack.

In cases of severe trauma, the life threatening damage would heal first and Jack would revive. More cosmetic healing took place after revival and the process was often excruciating. Recently, Ianto had lost part of his left hand. The regrowth of bone, muscle and skin had taken all day. Miranda had performed nerve blocks so that Ianto wasn't in excruciating agony. Miranda usually timed the new block to take effect as the old one was wearing off, but once, Ianto had lost track of time. The pain had been blinding and the block hadn't even worn off all the way.

The first thing Ianto did when he stepped off the lift was turn towards the cells to check on Jack. Whenever this sort of situation occurred, they converted a cell into a makeshift hospital room. It was the first time Alicia and Ben had had to set this up on their own. Even with extensive training and Ianto's carefully written guide, there was a lot to it. Jack was nude beneath a sheet on his old camp bed. He was flat on his back with tubes and wires everywhere. The monitors beeped, showing he was alive. The dull ventilator regularly beeped and hissed as it breathed for him. There was a drip going into his arm, keeping him asleep. A drape was suspended over his face to keep debris from settling on the wounds that would retard the healing. 

Ianto checked the ventilator and the tracheostomy site first. Because of the extensive damage to Jack's face, the breathing tube couldn't go into his mouth, but had to be placed through an opening cut into his neck. Since everything looked good, his next stop was the canula, ensuring it was well placed and the line flowing freely. He triple checked the dosages, noting they would need refilling soon. He also checked Jack's IV fluids. Once that was done, he lifted the sheet, checking the urinary catheter and rectal tube were properly inserted and flowing well. Alicia and Ben had done good work. The official portion complete, Ianto turned to his husband. 

"I'm here now, Cariad," Ianto said, bending down. He lifted Jack's hand and kissed it. "I have to make coffee for the others, but I'll be back soon."

After one more glance at the monitors, he left Jack alone. Once the coffee was made and distributed, Ianto praised Alicia and Ben. He was glad to see the awkwardness between them had somehow been resolved, whatever its cause. With a mug of coffee, he settled at his workstation to begin searching for Andrew Darby as every other team member was doing. Miranda was off to the side, quietly muttering into her mobile in a language Ianto didn't understand. 

He tapped her on the shoulder. She held up a finger and after a few moments disconnected her call. "Sorry about that, Ifan. I was just talking to Methos."

"I thought they were in Paris," Ianto said.

"They're in America. They can't help with our current situation, but they have shed some light on the meeting this morning. Joe Dawson said two members of the Watcher governing body died. Their replacements have caused a shift in policy. Along with Kiernan, Dawson said that five other Watchers have been executed from all around the globe."

Ianto shook his head. "Shawn was upstairs. I'm surprised they kept him on me. We talked on the invisible lift." 

"That was unwise, Ifan," Miranda warned.

"Shawn swears the Watchers are okay with it because he's been recording us which I suspected he was doing already," Ianto said, shrugging. "We were writing notes off the recording. He said your new Watcher is an ex-FSB operative named Yuri Serov who is, and I quote, 'scary as fuck'."

Miranda raised an eyebrow and began tapping out a text message. "I'll have to do some digging."  

"Who are you texting?" he asked. 

"Amunet."

"Isn't she still in Egypt?"

She shook her head. "She moved last year. She's currently living under the alias of Claire Valois and works for Interpol."

Ianto's eyebrows shot up. "Well, that's a change from an Egyptian cloth merchant."

"Amunet despises the heat. She's wanted to move to a cooler climate for years," Miranda said. She frowned. "I didn't know you knew her." 

"When I was looking for you, I searched everywhere. Henry gave me Arjun and Amunet's mobile numbers. Amunet seemed lovely, we talked for quite a while," he said. "Arjun's a bit cracked, isn't he?" 

Miranda laughed. "Yes, he is. He's a master of the quarterstaff. Should you ever wish to study the weapon, I highly suggest him as a teacher."

Ianto made the mental note, but he doubted he could stand to be around Arjun for long enough to learn from him. The man was the textbook definition of severe ADHD.

"Did you speak with Jacob Rosen?" she asked. 

"I did. I warned him about what happened this morning too. He said he doesn't talk to his Watcher," Ianto replied. "Shawn said it was a message to other Watchers." 

Miranda nodded. "And to us as well. I have cautioned as many immortals as I know."

"Is there anyone who can help us with Darby?"

"No. Amunet offered, but she cannot arrive for a few days. Arjun would be even more delayed as he is in Mongolia."

Ianto nodded. "It was good of them to offer. John's still doing the background check with Ben. Alicia and Gwen are examining what we brought back from his flat. I guess we'll regroup in an hour?"

She patted him on the shoulder. "I believe that is up to our second-in-command."

"You sure you don't want to take those reigns back?" Ianto offered, teasing.

"I've told you repeatedly, Ifan, no I do not." Her eyes twinkled at him for a moment. Then, she said, "With your permission, I'm going to stake-out Darby's flat, in case he returns."

"He'll feel you," Ianto pointed out.

"I'll stay out of range, but I won't have one of the mortals take the risk."

"Take another look around again for anything electronic while you're there. Darby's got to have a mobile or a laptop-something." As she turned away, nodding at his instructions, he touched her arm. "Mandy, that thing on his arm is doing God knows what to him. To hell with fair play. You see him? You use your gun. Don't even try anything else."

Miranda nodded once and disappeared down the garage hallway. Ianto stood there for a moment and decided against a formal briefing. It didn't feel right with Jack laying downstairs. He walked over to Hart and said, "Have anything yet, Captain?"

"Just the basics right now, Eye Candy." He pointed at the screen as information scrolled across. "Background. Work history. Financials."

"Give me the short version," Ianto said. 

"Darby was found near Cardiff Castle as a baby, presumed abandoned," he said. 

"Typical for an immortal," Ianto noted. 

Hart nodded. "He spent time with a couple different carers."

"He's scared and alone. He could go to one of them," Ianto said.

"I don't know about that, Eye Candy. He hasn't had contact with any of them since he aged out of the system," Hart said.  

Ben said, "I think I have one better than carers. He may have had a girlfriend."

"Rather heteronormative of you," Hart said.

"A significant other then," Ben rephrased, with a roll of his eyes. "There's charges on his credit card for dinners, flowers, and the like."

"We should figure out who she is. He may go to her," Ianto said.

"You're still assuming it's a woman, Eye Candy," Hard said, annoyed.

Ianto rolled his eyes. "I apologise for the heteronormative assumption. Mandy's gone back to his flat to see if he goes back there. I told her to take a quick look around for more electronics."

Gwen appeared at Ianto's shoulder. "Hey, Ianto, I haven't found anything in any of what you lot brought back from the flat. I swabbed the lot of it and ran it through the DNA checker. No DNA other than Darby's."

"No evidence of anyone else?" Ianto asked.

Gwen tilted her head. "Girlfriend?"

Hart rolled his eyes. "What a biased century..."

"Or another man," Ianto supplied.

"See, Eye Candy, that's gender binary," Hart countered. 

Ianto rolled his eyes and pondered his wording for a moment. He came up with, "Is there any evidence of anyone with whom Darby may have been intimate?" He looked at Hart and asked, "Better?"

Hart gave him a smile and a thumbs up. "Progress." 

Ben and Gwen both laughed.

"Ben found evidence of a girl-sorry-dating," Ianto corrected.

"No evidence of DNA other than his own," Gwen supplied. "I can't believe there was no mobile or a laptop. These days, everyone's whole life is on their phone."

"He's paying for one," Hart said, pointing at the screen. "I'll get the information from the company and locate it. Long shot but you never know."

"Mandy went back to his flat to take another look around," Ianto said.

Hart's own mobile phone rang. He picked it up and connected the call. "Speaking of... Hi, Dollface... Uhuh... Uhuh... I'll tell Eye Candy." Hart turned to Ianto and said, "No electronics. She's watching the building from across the street. Said she's sitting in her car."

Ianto nodded. "Ben? Do you mind going to Darby's old job? Poke around and ask some questions?" 

"Not at all," he said, his focus still on his screen. Ianto waited a few moments before saying, "Not now, in a minute, Ben. Now. John can handle the rest of the background check."

Ben stood up and said, "Address?"

Hart handed him a piece of paper and Ben squinted. "Your fucking handwriting, mate. Just text it to me."

"Do you think we use pens and pencils in the fifty-first century?" Hart said, rolling his eyes. He took out his phone and tapped the address out. He waggled his eyebrows. "I have better ways to use my fine motor skills."

Ben rolled his eyes as he walked over to his desk to collect his things. "Can I borrow the SUV, Ianto?"

Ianto dug into his pockets and produced the keys, but didn't let go when Ben grasped them. 

"I'll be careful with it. I promise," he said. He may have rolled his eyes but he was grinning. Ianto released his hold on the keys. "See you in a bit."

"I'm going to go sit with Jack," he said. 

"I'll let you know if I find anything here, Eye Candy," Hart said, turning back to his workstation. 

Gwen turned to Ianto. "I have an appointment in an hour."

Ianto nodded. "Tell Alicia if she doesn't think there's anything more to be found in Darby's things to come back up here and help John. Then get going, we've got this."

"Thanks, Ianto," she said. The grin on her face was forced. 

He didn't want to ask if something was wrong. He didn't say good luck, but he sent up a silent prayer for her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies, I accidentally skipped a chapter when I posted. A huge thank you to the person who pointed out that Ben mysteriously ended up in the hospital!

Local police, government, and medical personnel were used to dealing with Torchwood, but the average person was a different story. As the low ones on the totem pole, Ben and Alicia often got stuck with interviewing witnesses. Ben quickly learned that instantaneous cooperation was limited to first responders. The typical Cardiff citizen would fire back numerous questions about who Ben was and precisely what organization he represented. After a few days, Ben suggested a change to the Torchwood credentials. With Gwen's help, he had fashioned a more official looking card as well as adding a small, silver badge similar to what was currently used by Heddlu Gwent. 

Jack had been resistant to the change, but within two weeks, everyone was praising Ben's cleverness. It had made their jobs a lot easier. Ben no longer dreaded pulling out his credentials and flashing them at a random receptionist, fearing he'd be questioned. Instead, he held out the ID and said, "Ben Murphy. I'd like to speak with someone regarding Andrew Darby." 

The receptionist barely glanced at his ID before reaching for the phone. Trying to appear casual, Ben looked around the well decorated reception area.

"If you'll have a seat, someone will be right with you."

Ben smiled, "Thank you."

Instead of sitting down, Ben walked around the small reception area, slowly. It looked to be some sort of marketing, advertising, or public relations company. The reception area had large posters of their work plastered on the walls. A few of them, Ben recognised. He was peering at one of those posters when a female voice spoke from behind him.

"Hello? Detective Inspector?"

Ben turned. The woman was wearing a pair of trousers and a white blouse. She was smiling at him. _Pretty_ , he noted and held out his hand. "Ben Murphy." 

She eyed him up and down, then cleared her throat. "I'm Liz Cahill. I'm sorry to tell you that Andrew Darby is no longer employed here."

"I wasn't aware of that, Ms. Cahill, but I would still like to speak with you about him. If we could find somewhere we can speak privately?" he asked, flashing his ID again.

She glanced at the silver badge and his plain clothes, then gestured him past the reception desk. "My office all right?" 

"Perfect."

When she moved behind her desk, Ben reached out and shut the door behind him. When he turned back, he swore there was another button undone on her blouse. 

"Is Drew in some sort of trouble, Detective Inspector?" she asked, sitting down.

Ben let her continue with the assumption. It made things easier. "He's gone missing, Ms. Cahill. We also believe him to be in possession of possible stolen property."

She barked out a laugh. "Drew? A thief?"

Ben raised an eyebrow. "That surprises you?"

"Drew was the odd sort, but a criminal?" she said, rolling her eyes. 

"Why'd he get the sack?" Ben asked.

"He was made redundant," she replied.

The response was too immediate for his taste. "Why, Ms. Cahill?"

Her eyes flicked to the windows. "Drew was okay when we first hired him. But after a couple months, he declined. Lately, he been constantly tardy. Not a few minutes here and there, but thirty or forty minutes, every day, sometimes as much as an hour. He would regularly miss deadlines and submit poor work. No show at meetings. He wouldn't answer e-mails, phone calls, or texts. A few times he went to lunch, didn't come back. He was a mess too-rumpled clothes, couple days stubble sometimes."

Ben took out a small notebook and pretended to take notes. "But he's never done anything criminal here?"

Cahill shook her head. "No, never. Lazy and sloppy, a few angry outbursts, but that's not a crime."

"What else can you tell me about him? How'd he get along with his coworkers?" Ben asked.

She shrugged. "He wasn't the friendliest, but he didn't have a problem with anyone, really, but after his work started to decline, other people'd have to pick up the slack. That was a different story."

Ben nodded. Again, he pretended to make notes. "Are there any coworkers I could speak to?"

Cahill considered for a moment then stood. "One of our senior partners is retiring. Everyone's out at the party so we're stretched a little thin. Excuse me a second. I'll see if anyone's free."

"This is a criminal investigation, Ms. Cahill. I don't care if someone's free or not," he said, officially.

She coloured slightly and nodded. When she returned there was a young man with her. "This is Dominic Rossi."

He held out his hand and said, "Liz said you wanted to talk about Drew?"

After shaking Rossi's hand, Ben gestured at the chair. "Yes, I do. You and Andrew Darby are friends?"

Rossi shrugged. "We worked together."

"It's okay Dom," Cahill said. "He knows we sacked him."

Rossi rolled his eyes. "He was a bit of a weirdo, said odd things, had a temper. He kept to himself but after the rest of us had to do his whole bloody job for him, yeah, no one wanted anything to do with him."

"He have any family in the area? Other friends? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?" Ben asked.

"He kept to himself here, but I think there was a bird," Rossi replied.

Cahill said, "A few of us wondered if he was making her up, truth be told."

Rossi nodded. "Sometimes he'd mutter to himself. I tried to talk to him, because he was falling apart. I was trying to give him the names of some people who could help, but all he kept saying was he knew Ronnie was cheating on him. It just got worse. Twice last week, he didn't come back in after lunch." 

Ben nodded. "Ronnie is short for...?"

"Veronica. Don't know a last name," Rossi replied.

Ben turned to Cahill. "Can I see Darby's work area?" When she nodded, He turned back to Rossi and said, "Thank you for your time."

"Is Drew in some sort of trouble?" he asked.

"I can't comment to that, Mr. Rossi. The investigation is ongoing," Ben replied. He gave a stern glance to Cahill and then gestured for her to lead him to Darby's desk. As he stuffed his notepad back into his pocket, he smothered a smirk. Ben loved this little bit of playing cop. It reminded him of when he was a boy.

"Here it is," she said.

"He didn't remove his personal items?" Ben asked, settling himself in the chair.

She shook her head. "I had to have security forcibly remove him. He wasn't happy, made a ruckus shouting and carrying on. I nearly phoned the police. HR said we should probably put everything in the post. I don't think IT has wiped the computer yet since it was just this morning. I'll ring downstairs and get you the passwords." 

Ben nodded, flipping the computer on. "Thanks."

When she walked away, Ben leaned out of the cubicle and watched her arse. He hoped he wasn't imagining the flirty smile earlier. Best he get Alicia Richards out of his system and he'd selected just the blonde for it. A good date-one where both parties knew they were actually on a date-was just what he needed to get rid of this crush he had on Alicia. It was clear to Ben that Alicia was harboring a crush of her own on Ianto. He wished it didn't make him so fucking angry at Ianto every time he looked at the man since he was a good bloke. 

While he waited for the computer to boot, he looked at the desk. It was in a fair amount of disarray. He shifted the papers and office supplies around, looking for anything personal that might indicate family or who Veronica was. On the cubicle wall was a fresh button down shirt and a jacket. There was nothing in the pockets. There were no photographs or anything displayed except for random desk objects like dancing plastic figures and the odd cartoon lamenting the day of an office worker. There was more of the same when he opened the drawers. There were files and office supplies, but nothing overly personal.

He was rummaging through the top drawer when Cahill cleared her throat. She handed him a slip of paper. "Drew's login and password."

"Thank you," he said, turning to the computer dismissively. "I'll ask if I need anything else."

She nodded. "I'll be in my office if you need anything."

As she walked away, Ben leaned out of the cubicle so he could eye her arse again. This time, she turned and caught him. He gave her an embarrassed smile and a grin. She smiled, swaying her hips a little more as she walked away. 

I'm in.

Feeling rather chuffed, Ben took out his PDA as he logged into the computer. He set it next to the desktop and typed in Darby's login and password. Then, he activated an app that uploaded a virus into the company's computer system. While the virus worked, Ben began reading Darby's e-mail.

He ignored the typical work e-mails-mostly barely polite and passive aggressive demands for Darby to do his job. It didn't take him long to find e-mails from a Miss Veronica Harris. Bingo... He sent a text to Hart with the name and continued to read as he waited for the app to beep. Darby's wording in his e-mails got nastier and nastier to the point they were starting to piss Ben off and they weren't even addressed to him. He paused at one e-mail from Veronica.

 

_Drew, you can't keep coming round like that. I know we've had a lot of fun, but don't ring for a while. I need some space. -Ronnie_

 

As Ben went further back, the e-mail's tone didn't change. Andrew was clearly the jealous and controlling type. His mobile beeped, indicating it had downloaded everything he needed involving Andrew Darby from the system. He slipped the phone back into his pocket, logged off the computer and went in search of Cahill. He knocked lightly on her door, "I'm all through, Ms. Cahill. Do you have a card in case I have any more questions?"

She reached across her desk and plucked one from the holder. She flipped it over and wrote on the back. "I hope you find him, Detective Inspector. I feel badly I had to sack him, specially with his life just falling apart the way it seemed to be, but once he lost us that big account, there was nothing I could do."

"It's not your fault, Ms. Cahill. Some people make poor choices," Ben said, accepting the card. "No, no, don't get up. I can show myself out. Thank you, for your time."

She smiled and said, sweetly, "In case you need anything else, my, uhh, mobile's on the back."

Ben grinned. "I'm sure I can think of something I need help with."

"Big strong bloke like you needs help?" she teased.

Ben winked at her and said, "Well, I could definitely need help in the form of company for dinner." 

Though her smile was wide, it was a little shy. "That sounds fantastic." 

"I'll ring," he said, tapping the business card against his hand. He cleared his throat and said, "Thank you, Ms. Cahill. I'll definitely be in touch."

They shook hands, Ben turning at her office door to smile at her. There was a glow in her cheeks. Play it cool...

He stepped out through the door with more of a spring in his step and waved as he passed the receptionist again. As he walked out of the building, he flipped the card over in his fingers, again and again. Once he was outside, he looked down at the back. A hand drawn smiley face was next to the mobile number.

He was so thrilled, he wasn't looking where he was going as he walked back towards the SUV. He knocked into someone and then looked up, "I'm so sorry. Excuse me."

Ben's eyes went wide. He took two steps back and said, "Andrew Darby?"

Panic spread over Darby's face. He roughly shoved Ben out of the way. Ben felt like he'd been hit by a bat to his chest.

"Oi! Hold it right there, Darby!"

Stupidly, Ben reached out for him. The other man snarled, and the last thing Ben saw before the world went dark was Darby's fist heading for his face.

* * *

"Woah, woah, there, Benny. Easy does it," Hart said, as he helped Ben sit up. 

"Benny? What the actual fucking fuck... Don't fucking call me that ever again." Ben rubbed at his head. When he brought his hand away, there was blood. "Oh fuck... Fucking ow... "

"You've a concussion," Ianto replied. He peered at the side of Ben's scalp. "And this looks like it's going to need some staples."

Ben flinched at the bright light Ianto was shining in his eyes. "Ease off, Ianto." 

His hand came up, slapping Ianto's away. Ianto gritted his jaw. Ben had been getting more and more belligerent since he'd joined the team, particularly towards him. And Ianto was at the end of his tether. He said, sternly, "You have a concussion. I need to examine you. You're bloody lucky a concussion is all you've got. I don't know what the fuck you were thinking confronting Darby on your own. Your decision making abilities are revoked until further notice. So sit down, shut up, and let me finish making sure you're all right because the next step is hospital for a scan and you're benched for the rest of the day."

"Oh for fuck's sake, Ianto!" he cried, standing. 

Hart reached out as Ben wobbled and grabbed Ben's arm while Ianto reached for the other. They dragged him over to the SUV and had him sit in the open boot. 

"What did I just say, Ben? You're going to hospital for a scan, then you're going back to the Hub," he snapped. "Now hold still while I staple your scalp shut." 

"I'm fine," Ben insisted. He tried to stand again and Hart grabbed him. 

"You're not! So do us all a favor and just sit the fuck down," Hart said, angrily.

Ben sat down while Ianto began parting his hair by the split in his scalp.

"Hand me that gauze, John, please? Thanks," Ianto said.

"I'm going to go talk to the PCs. They've probably finish interviewing witnesses on the street," Hart said. He glared at Ben. "You, stay put and listen to Ianto before you get yourself killed." 

"Yeah fuck you very much, John," Ben snapped. 

Once he'd wandered away, Ianto put on a pair of gloves and began cleaning the gash. He asked, "Did you find out anything?" 

"Darby got the sack this morning. One of the managers said he made such a scene she nearly phoned the police," Ben said. He took out his mobile and said, "I downloaded everything onto my mobile. I'd like to get back to the Hub so I can start on it." 

"Did you learn anything else?" Ianto asked. 

"The girlfriend's name is Veronica Harris," he said, blinking.

Ianto noted the photosensitivity as Ben continued. "There are some e-mails from her basically calling Darby a controlling twat."

"That's good information," Ianto said. He held out his hand for the mobile. "You're going to hospital. So give me the mobile so I can have John take a look at it." 

"Oh for fuck's sake, Ianto, I'm fine," Ben snapped.

After sighing Ianto stepped back and looked his teammate in the eye. Sternly, he said, with significant frustration. "Ben, I don't know what your problem is. I don't know if it's with me or what, but you have been nothing but belligerent since you joined the team. Jack and I thought you had great potential, and now, we're reconsidering. So you want to tell me what's going on?" 

Ben remained silent. Ianto saw a myriad of emotions and a few he didn't expect, including shame and embarrassment. 

After sighing, Ianto said, "I'm going to staple this cut. It'll be just as painful if I inject around the cut to anesthetize it first."

"Get on with it then," Ben snapped. 

"See? That right there is what I'm talking about. While I'm stapling your head shut, you think about telling my where this attitude is coming from, yeah?" 

When the last staple punched into Ben's scalp, Ianto stood back and said, "Done. Now, do you want to tell me what's going on with you?" 

Ben closed his eyes. Ianto saw the shame and embarrassment again, this time more pronounced. 

Ianto sat down and said, "Ben, you can talk to me, whatever it is, all right?" 

To Ianto's surprise, Ben jerked his chin in Alicia's direction and said, "She's pretty great, isn't she?" 

"Yeah, she is," Ianto agreed, smiling fondly.

Ben didn't say anything else, and the reason why settled into Ianto's brain. He muttered, "Fuck." He cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "Is that why you two were off?" 

Ben nodded. "I asked her out, took her to that bistro you and Jack are always going on about. We had an amazing time, talking, laughing." He shook his head. "I walked her to her door, wasn't expecting to be invited in or nothing. She stood there, talking, hesitant like. So I went for it."

"What happened?" Ianto said.  

"She freaked. Looked at me like I was the devil himself. Ran into her room and slammed the door in my face," Ben said.

Ben sighed. "She fancies you." He paused and said, "And you fancy her." 

For a minute, Ianto thought about denying it, but decided against it. Ben might be rough around the edges, but he didn't deserve lies.

"I get I can't compete with a bloke that looks like you or Jack when it comes to a woman like that," he said, softly. "But for that one night, I felt like I was... and it felt like I was winning." 

Ianto winced.  

"I liked it," he said, looking down at his feet. "I've been taking care of myself a long time. I'm not a petty person. I'm a fucking grown up and I hate that every time I look at you... I'm not usually like this." 

Ianto sighed. "That's why I was worried something was wrong. You're crass and rough, but not like this." 

"I'm sorry. Really, I am," he said, softly. 

Ianto replied, "I don't know how to make this right."

"You can't. I just need some time, I think. Allie and I worked everything out," he said. "This problem I have with you... Mate, it's my problem, not yours."

Ianto nodded. "I understand and I'm sorry. Look, be a tosser with me all you want, but ease up on the rest of the team, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, lashing out is all," Ben said, sighing. He stood up and Ianto put his hand firmly on his shoulder.

"Oh no you don't! Straight to hospital!" 

When Ben wanted to protest, Ianto said, "Oi, I said hospital. Now! Alicia!"

Alicia turned from her conversation with the PC. "Yes, sir?"

"Go with Ben to hospital. When they've done scanning him and if everything is okay, take him back to the Hub where he's to rest."

Alicia nodded. "Aye aye, sir."

She nodded to the PC and stepped over to Ben. "C'mon."

As the ambulance drove off, Ianto stared down at his feet whilst examining how he'd acted around Alicia since she'd arrived from America. Ianto couldn't believe Ben had noticed at all. Had he been that transparent? And if Ben had noticed, had anyone else?

"You all right, Eye Candy?" Hart asked. 

Ianto's head snapped up. He cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, fine, John." 

"Ben all right?"

Ianto nodded. "I think he's just concussed, but I'm not a doctor." He dug into his pocket for Ben's mobile. He passed it to Hart. "He got what we needed from the computer system. What's the rest of the story here?" 

"Lucky for everyone most of the employees were out to lunch, celebrating someone's last day. Nearly everyone who'd stayed is dead." Hart lifted a notepad and read, "There's a woman named Elizabeth Cahill who survived, but it's not looking good for her. Darby did a lot of damage for someone without a weapon."

"How many employees?" Ianto asked. 

Hart checked his notepad again. "There's thirty-three total, but only five or so were here," Hart replied. He craned his neck and shouted past Ianto, "How many inside, Dollface?" 

Ianto turned to see Miranda walking out of the building, a sour look on her face. "Six. Darby even dragged the receptionist back into the building to kill her. A bystander saw him and dialed nine-nine-nine."

"And he still managed to kill everyone inside before they arrived," Ianto said, shaking his head.

"He used a variety of office supplies and his bare hands. Had the scene been from a film, it'd been almost comical. He drove a stapler through one man's forehead. Beat another to death with a keyboard." Miranda looked around and asked, "Did Ben to go hospital?"

Ianto nodded. "I sent Alicia with him. Anything else here for us?"

Miranda gave a disappointed shake of her head. "No, I don't think there's anything here. John said Ben texted him the name of the girlfriend. We should locate her as soon as possible."

Ianto held the keys out to Hart, but the other man said, "No thanks. You can drive, Eye Candy."

"C'mon, John, back in the saddle," Ianto said, dangling the keys. The fifty-first century man had gotten into a small RTA, accidentally striking a cyclist. The only thing damaged had been the SUV's paint and the cyclist's bike, but Hart had been reluctant to drive ever since. 

"No, it's okay, Eye Candy," he insisted.

Ianto shrugged and drove. By the time they got back to the Hub, it was past lunch. Ianto ordered the team salads and sandwiches. Alicia and Ben still weren't back, but he ordered something for them anyway. He popped downstairs to check on Jack and refilled some of his medications.

When he got back upstairs, the food had arrived. As he walked towards Hart, the other man held the paper wrapped sandwich out to the Welshman. "How's Jack, Eye Candy?"

"Healing's coming along," he replied. "Do you have anything on the girlfriend?" 

"Just some e-mails," Hart said, gesturing at the screen. "Darby didn't send many personal e-mails from his work account, but that changed when they started having problems." 

Ianto leaned and saw the last e-mail Veronica Harris sent to Darby about needing some space. "She could be a target." 

Hart jerked his head towards Miranda. "Dollface is looking into it."

"Mandy?" Ianto asked, raising his voice. "Anything on Veronica Harris?"

"Heddlu Gwent is less than pleased since we were the ones who chased them out of the crime scene."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "It was their examiner that declared Darby dead."

"Because he was dead, Ifan." She shrugged and said, "I explained we had no reason to believe Darby would be violent and assumed he'd go to the nearest A&E for medical attention, not murder everyone at his former workplace."

"Are they looking for Veronica Harris too?" Ianto asked.

"They told me they'd look into it," Miranda said, "but I'm going to go to her flat anyway."

"Be careful, Mandy. Please," Ianto said. 

Miranda nodded, patting her waist. "I have my sidearm." 

Knowing Miranda's strict adherence to fair play within the Game, Ianto warned, "Promise me you'll use it." 

She nodded. "I will, Ifan." 

As she walked towards the garage, Hart said, quietly, "You sound more worried about her than I am." 

"We both love her," Ianto noted. Unlike Hart, Ianto had seen how quickly and easily a fight could sour from certain victory to certain death. In the Game, there were no certainties, even with an immortal as long lived at Miranda. With Darby's enhanced nature, it made things even more uncertain. 

Hart nodded and said, "Still no hits on the girlfriend's face in facial recognition. She could be dead in a ditch somewhere by now for all we know. He didn't waste any time with his old job. Those e-mails don't paint a rosy picture." Hart turned towards Ianto and then looked around. "Still no Peaches?" 

Ianto frowned. "No, she's probably still at hospital with Ben. And John, for the last time, will you please stop calling Alicia that. It's bloody rude. It's one thing when you're doing it to your own wife, but not a woman you barely know."

The level of crossness in Hart's voice surprised Ianto. "I might look like one of you lot, Eye Candy, but I'm not. I was born thousands of years from now on another fucking planet." He paused and continued, "The Twin Gods of my world were soulmates, living and existing in one body, until Houlan, our Satan, tore them asunder. Ripping them apart was what brought pain, grief, sorrow, and sickness into the world, but left behind the hope of soulmates to find each other. Houlan had discovered their true names with trickery and ripped them apart by saying those names aloud. Names have power, Eye Candy. You lot think it's rude, but when and where I'm from it's the other way around." 

He frowned. "Why do you call Ben by name then?" 

"Because he's a twat," Hart said.

"And Fish?"

"Joe's like a brother to me, and before you ask, Henry told me I could use his name because you know he's not one to stand on formality," Hart replied. 

Ianto nodded, understanding. "I'm sorry, Captain. I'll explain to Alicia," He turned away and said, "I'm going to go take care of Jack."

"Sure, Eye Candy," he said, turning back to his workstation. 

Ianto hadn't taken more than two steps when Hart said, "Hey, Eye Candy?"

"Hmm?" Ianto said, turning. "Yes, Captain?" 

"It's Jonathan," Hart said, without turning away from his screen.

"Pardon?" Ianto asked, confused.

"My name. It's Jonathan-Jonathan Wixson," he said. Then he turned to him and smiled. 

Ianto remembered all the times when Hart had called him by name. They'd been times when the two had shared moments of friendship, something Ianto thought he would never and could never have with this man. Ah, I think I see a flying pig... "You may call me Ianto, so will you please stop calling me Eye Candy?" 

"No promises, Ianto," Hart said, turning back to his screen after he winked. 

Ianto rolled his eyes, but was smiling when he did it. began to see to Jack. These situations were few and far between, but Ianto always insisted on being Jack's primary caregiver. It gave him peace of mind to handle the details himself. It had been a real struggle to allow Alicia and Ben to see to the complex initial set up.

The first task was extremely unpleasant. Ianto stepped to Jack's head. The blue drape was suspended above Jack's face across a metal frame. Ianto braced himself and lifted it. Most of Jack's bone structure had returned, but his right cheekbone and eye socket still looked broken. The right eye was also still missing. Ianto replaced the drape. He estimated he could wake Jack tomorrow, possibly in the afternoon or evening. With most of the damage healed, he switched the drug protocol so that Jack was merely sedated and not in a medically induced coma. After shutting off the ventilator, he removed the breathing tube, watching with relief as the incision in Jack's neck sealed itself. 

Next, he changed and emptied the appropriate bags. When he was done, he sat down next to Jack, resting his forehead against his hand. Some might think working with your spouse would be a bad thing, but Ianto thoroughly enjoyed it. He and Jack seamlessly slipped from their personal lives into their professional one. They made a good team, sharing the responsibilities of Torchwood, and tempering each other's personalities. Every decision Ianto had to make without Jack by his side made him lonely.

A change in the beeping that coincided with Jack's heart rate brought his head up. Ianto blinked, watching the monitor for a moment. He looked down at Jack's body, studying the way his chest rose and fell. Standing, he went over to one of the medication pumps and tapped at the buttons, increasing the dosage slightly. Within seconds, Jack's heart rate slowed back to the previous gentle rhythm. 

"You'd make an excellent healer," Hart said from the doorway. "You're naturally nurturing." 

"This is my husband, John," Ianto said, rolling his eyes. 

"You're like that with everyone, though."

"That's my job," Ianto replied, again with a roll of his eyes. 

"You're second in command, Ianto. You could hire on another butler. You like taking care of us," he insisted. 

"That doesn't mean I'd be a good doctor," Ianto replied. 

"No, but it means you have the heart of a healer." 

Hart indicated the monitors. "That means you'd be a good doctor. You could tell he was uncomfortable, even though he probably wasn't conscious enough to be aware of it. You've got good instincts." He shrugged. "Just an opinion." 

Ianto nodded, but mostly ignored the unsolicited advice. Miranda had been trying to get him into medical school ever since she returned and had obviously solicited her own husband's help in that goal. He said, "Did you find something?" 

Hart shook his head. "My wife called a few minutes ago to check in."

"She could've rang me," Ianto said. 

Hart held out his mobile. "You left it upstairs." 

"Thanks," Ianto said, taking the phone. He saw the missed call from Miranda. 

Hart crossed his arms over his chest. "She found what was left of Veronica Harris." 

Ianto let out a sad sigh. He tapped the phone to call Miranda back.

"Don't bother. She didn't give me the gory details, but she's on her way back here to fill you in. She passed the case to the locals." He shifted his weight. "I also wanted to tell you that Ben and Peaches are back." 

"I'll be up in a minute," Ianto said.

Hart nodded, turned and left the room. Ianto went through the business of checking Jack again and all his medications even though he knew everything was fine. When he was done, he kissed his husband's hand and then turned to leave the room. He stopped at the door, his hand on the wall, pausing to take in the scene. Maybe there was something to what Hart and Miranda were saying after all.  


	6. Chapter 6

"This is boring as fuck," Ben snapped. He slapped his arms down on the bedclothes in frustration. "What the fuck did Ianto have to take my phone for?" 

"Well there's nothing I can do about it," Alicia replied. She gestured at her own phone. "You've already drained the battery on mine." 

Ben sat there for a whole three seconds and then asked, "How much longer am I going to have to wait here?" 

Alicia let out a frustrated growl. "I have no idea, Ben. Do I look like I work here? I'm as bored as you having to sit here and just wait." 

She gathered up her handbag and said, "I'm going to go find some coffee or something. You want anything?" 

"No thanks," he said, softly. With a frustrated sigh, he leaned back on the bed. "I'm sorry." 

"Yeah, well, you're always a dick, but now you're a concussed dick, so I guess I can forgive you," Alicia said, rolling her eyes. "I'll be right back." 

With her bag in her hands, she left the room. After asking the nurse where she could find something to eat and drink, she wandered where she thought she was supposed to go. Unfortunately, she got lost and decided to just get something out of a vending machine. _The coffee here is probably disgusting anyway._  After she'd surveyed her choices, she popped some coins into the machine. She broke into the bag of crisps and cracked open the soda. 

"I think you're exaggerating," a man said from behind her. 

"I'm not exaggerating! Five bodies have gone missing from the mortuary in the past two months," the other man said. 

"Why are you poking around with that shite, mate?" the first man asked. "Not our bloody department. I've got enough to do as it is without worrying about someone who's dead and doesn't even need a doctor anymore. I'll see you tomorrow, Rupesh."

"Yeah... yeah, thanks for listening, mate," he said, frustrated.

Alicia turned and said, "Excuse me?" 

"Yeah?" he replied. 

"Which way is it to the A&E?" she asked. 

He jerked his finger over his shoulder. "This way. I'll walk with you actually. I'm going there myself.” He held out his hand. “Doctor Rupesh Patanjali.”

“Alicia Richards,” she said, shaking his hand firmly. 

“American?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” she replied. "You don't sound Welsh." 

"I'm from Chesterfield," he replied. He pointed and said, "It's that way." 

She stayed quiet for a few minutes as she followed him through the hospital. Then teasingly asked, “So there’s bodies going missing, huh?”

Patanjali looked alarmed. “Uhh, I didn’t think anyone overheard.”

"Not exactly something you want the patients or anyone to hear about, is it?" she asked. "I mean, you lose grandma and no one's blinking an eye, it begs the question how much did you guys care when she was alive and kicking?" 

"Look, it's not something anyone needs to worry about, it's just a suspicion of mine," he said. He shook his head and shrugged, dismissively. "Matt's right, I'm probably just imagining things. Probably just a bloody paperwork error."

Alicia slipped her hand into her purse and took out her credentials. "Maybe not, Doctor."

"Torchwood?" he exclaimed. "You're Torchwood?" 

"Now what do you say you tell me more about what you found?" she asked. 

"Uhh, ummm... yeah... yeah!" He gestured down another corridor. "This way. I've got a file in my locker."

Alicia stood in the doctors' lounge, waiting while Patanjali retrieved the documents. It only took him a few minutes as he handed the folder to Alicia. She opened it and began flipping through the pages. 

"All men, various ages and ethnicities," he said, pointing. "None white though." 

"No consistency in ages," Alicia noted. 

"Thank you, Doctor Patanjali. I'll pass this along to my superiors," she replied. She turned and stepped down the hallway, even though she had no idea which direction she should take to get back to the A&E. 

"Hey! Wait!" he cried. He caught up to her and said, "You're going the wrong way for the A&E." 

"Of course, I am," Alicia muttered to herself. She turned to him and asked, "Which way?" 

"Wait. Just wait a minute," he begged. 

"Just point me towards the ER," she said. 

"It's accident and emergency here," he said. "But hear me out first."

Alicia tapped someone passing in a pair of scrubs. "Which way is the A&E please?" 

The woman pointed. 

"Thank you," Alicia said with a friendly smile. She turned and started walking. 

"Wait!" Patanjali cried. 

"Too much red tape here at the NHS," Alicia said, not stopping. "We'll take a look, but I'm not promising anything." 

"Let me help," he asked. "I could help." 

"Doing what, exactly?" she asked. She tapped the papers. "Look, the best way you can help is to stay here, do your job, and keep on keeping an eye out." 

"How will I contact you?" he asked. 

"You won't need to," she replied. 

Without another word, Alicia strode down the hallway. It took her quite a few minutes to find the A&E again. When she pulled the curtain aside, Ben wasn't in the bed. She snagged a passing nurse. "Excuse me? Did they take my friend upstairs?" 

"Dunno, sorry," she said, and continued on her way. 

Alicia sighed and inquired at the nurses' station. Ben had, indeed, been taken upstairs for his scan. It didn't take long for him to return. 

"Oi, there you are!" he exclaimed. 

As the nurse helped him back into the bed, Alicia said, "I got lost a couple times." 

Once the nurse lift, Alicia tapped the folder in her hands. "And I may have caught a case." 

"Oi, because the one we got going on right now isn't enough?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Give me some credit, Ben, I know how to prioritize. Bodies going missing from a morgue isn't exactly something that needs lights and sirens," she said, rolling her eyes. 

Ben raised his eyebrows. "You're telling me someone's stealing dead people?" 

Alicia nodded. "Five so far. All non-white, various ages, all men." 

A disgusted look came across Ben's face. "Could be some perv." 

Alicia made a disgusted noise as her stomach churned. "Ugh, I didn't even think of that possibility. Thanks, Ben." 

Ben shrugged. "Hey, it's possible. There's all sorts in the world." 

"True," Alicia replied. 

"Show it to Jack and Ianto, see what they say," Ben replied. He shrugged. "I mean, this is the NHS. Could just be some sort of paperwork cock up. They could've gone off to the funeral homes as they should've." 

"According to this, all their paperwork is gone, like they were never in the hospital to begin with," Alicia said, flipping through the papers.

"C'mon then, give it here," Ben said. 

"You should be resting," Alicia said, but handed over the file anyway.

He shrugged. "Who knows how long it'll be before the doctor gets in here to tell me I'm fine and can get the fuck out of here." 

After Ben reviewed the file, he shrugged. "It's not really much to go on. Non-white and male isn't exactly a major commonality. Half the population has a twig and berries and over eighty percent of the world is non-white." He tapped the papers with the back of his hand. "This isn't exactly a small segment of the population." 

He passed the file back to Alicia. "Jack might know of an alien species that likes snacking on the long pork." 

Alicia let out another disgusted noise. "Again, a possibility I didn't think of. Thanks."

"You don't have pervs and cannibals in America?" he asked, rolling his eyes. 

"We have plenty, thanks," she said. "I'm in Britain. Forgive the stereotyping, but I tend to think of you guys as being all tea and crumpets." 

"This is Wales," Ben replied, pointing at the ceiling. "Sheep shaggers."

Alicia rolled her eyes and sat down. She folded the papers and shoved them into her bag. Ben leaned back and closed his eyes and promptly fell asleep. After nearly an hour, she couldn't take it anymore. With a sigh, she took out her phone. The moment she opened Facebook, her phone went from ten percent to eight percent. As she'd finished a ridiculous quiz about which Harry Potter character she was- _Neville Longbottom... perfect_ -the phone finally choked its last breath and shut down. 

Thankfully, just as the screen went black, the curtain was shoved aside. A man in a short white coat entered the room and said, "Ben Murphy? Oh." 

Alicia saw Patanjali and rolled her eyes. "Ben, wake up! Doctor's here."

Ben blinked at the sound of his name. "Alicia?" 

"Doctor's here, Ben," she said. 

"Mr. Murphy, I'm Doctor Patanjali," he said, stepping forward. He shook Ben's hand and stepped back. 

"Oh good." He sat up full and turned, "Can I please get the fuck out of here? Because I'm fine." 

Alicia rolled her eyes. "You really are more of a dick than usual when you've got a concussion, do you know that?" 

"You two know each other?" Ben asked. 

Alicia waved. "Bodies gone missing guy." 

Ben nodded. "Oh." 

With a frustrated sigh, Alicia said, "Sorry about him." 

"It's all right. I'm, uh, used to it." Patanjali looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Um, your boyfriend is fine. There's no intracranial haemorrhage, but Doctor Jones was right to send him on. There is quite the concussion."

"He's not my boyfriend and Ianto Jones isn't a doctor," Alicia corrected automatically. 

"Oh, umm, uhh, well, Mr. Jones was quite knowledgable and professional on the phone," he said, then looked between Ben and Alicia, "and I'm sorry for assuming."

Alicia shut her eyes. When she turned her head, Ben look impatient, nothing more. She turned back to the doctor and said, "Are we okay to go?"

"He's got quite the concussion and I'd prefer to keep Mr. Murphy tonight for observation-"

"Oh fuck no," Ben said, standing. 

"Woah, woah!" Patanjali said. He pushed Ben back into the bed. "But since he seems so opposed to staying, I think it'll be fine for him to go home. No strenuous activity for at least a day or two. Plenty of rest. Any persistent symptoms, headaches, confusion, the like, and you should follow up with your GP straight away."

"Thank you," Alicia said. 

"The nurse will have some paperwork for you. Feel better, Mr. Murphy," he said. After a tight smile, he left the room. 

Ben didn't wait for the nurse. He immediately gathered himself up and began shoving his legs into his trousers.

"Why did I need to take me bloody trousers off for a scan of my head?" he snapped to no one in particular. 

Averting her eyes, she said, "I'll be right back." She stepped out to the nurses' station and said, "Hi, would it be possible for me to call a taxi?" 

The nurse looked up and said, "Don't you have a mobile?" 

"The battery's dead," she replied. 

"I can ring one for you," Patanjali said from behind her. 

Alicia turned and smiled. "Thank you." 

"Not a problem," he replied. After the brief call, he said, "It'll be here soon, outside the main entrance." 

"Thank you," she said and then turned back to where Ben was. 

"Umm... excuse me..." Patanjali said. 

She turned back and gave him an expectant look. 

He cleared his throat and Alicia could see the bemused look on the nurse's face out of the corner of her eye. 

"Umm, I was wondering if you'd like to have a drink sometime," he asked, smiling shyly. "Or dinner. Wait, is that too much? Maybe lunch or brunch or... coffee. Americans, you drink coffee right? Wait, that wasn't very sensitive of me. Tea? Do you like tea?"

The nurse snorted a laugh and rolled her chair over to the other side of the station. 

"I do like coffee and tea, but I think I'll pass," she said. The last thing she needed was to go out on a date with someone as socially inept as herself and who could potentially become a member of the team.

The man looked like she'd let the air out of him. "Right... right. Umm, I hope your friend feels better."

He abruptly turned and walked away. She rolled her eyes. When she got back to Ben, she pulled the curtain aside. "Can we get out of here? Your doctor's creeping on me."

Ben was tying on his trainers. He looked up protectively. "He is?" 

"He asked me for a drink, then dinner, then lunch or brunch, then coffee, then tea," Alicia said, frustrated. "I think I have enough social ineptitude and don't need to add to it." 

Ben raised an eyebrow at her. "You realize you're in Britain, right?" 

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked. 

"We're all socially inept. We can't even greet each other properly," he said, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, let's get back, yeah?" 

The taxi dropped them both at the Plass. Alicia didn't want to chance the invisible lift with Ben being wobbly, so she walked them down to the Tourist Office entrance. Ben winced at the sound of the proximity alarms. Miranda walked over and began guiding him to the autopsy bay. 

"Oi! I've already had an exam," he said. 

"And now you'll have another," she said. She turned to Alicia. "Ianto got a salad for you. It's in the kitchen." 

Alicia nodded. She said, randomly, "I'm going to take a shower." 

Without waiting for Miranda to respond, she walked down the north stairs to the staterooms. When she got to her door, she flung it open and then slammed it behind her. Flopping down on the bed, she buried her face in the pillow. A weariness settled over her, and she just wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep. 

Her whole life she'd had a plan. From the minute she'd seen her first episode of Law & Order, she'd wanted to be a lawyer. When her father had split, she'd thought that dream had sailed away with him. Her mother had had to work a lot to keep the roof over their heads and food on the table. Overwhelmed, she'd lumped more and more responsibilities onto Alicia's shoulders. Joining the military had just made sense, financially. It had enabled her to take better financial care of her sister and mother. Her plan had been moving along well until Torchwood dropped a bomb right in the middle of her whole life. 

Now, her sister was in a mental institution, her mother wouldn't answer her phone calls, and Alicia was living across an ocean in another country. She told herself it was a fresh start, but no matter how many times she whispered it in her head, it didn't feel that way. There was no plan. She was adrift in the middle of the ocean, floating this way and that with nothing to steer her. From the moment she'd set foot on Welsh soil, she could feel herself wanting to shut down the same way her mother had after her father had left.

Her whole room was filled with boxes. She couldn't face unpacking. It felt like she'd be accepting this shit situation, and giving up. She'd only unpacked what she thought she'd need. It had been an interesting lesson in minimalism and the disarray around her was freeing from the normal military precision with which she organized her space. _Sometimes a little chaos is good for the soul_ , her sister had said to her once. 

The memory made her want to curl up into the foetal position and cry herself to death. She crushed the pillow to her face and let out a long, frustrated growl that was interrupted by a knock at her door. Flinging the pillow aside, she called out, "Yeah?" 

"Alicia? It's me," Ianto said.

With a roll of her eyes and another, quieter, frustrated growl, she sat up. When Alicia had arrived here, she'd tried to hate Ianto with every fiber of her being, but she couldn't manage it. She should be angry with him. It would be perfectly normal, even if it wasn't Ianto's fault. But the tall, handsome Welshman had gotten under her skin. She'd dreamt about him every night since the moment she'd seen him in Washington. 

She looked around at the messy room, wondering if she should tidy quickly before allowing Ianto entry.  _Whatever_. 

"It's not locked." 

Ianto stepped into the room and looked around. He walked to the small table and leaned against it. "I had a word with Ben. He's worried about you." He let his gaze wander around the room. "And now I am too." 

"Because my room's a mess?" she asked. 

"Because this isn't like you," he replied. 

"You don't really know me," she said.

"I know enough to know this isn't you," he countered.  

"It's a small room," she replied. She sat up and said, "You want me to stand at attention and present for inspection so you can bounce a quarter off my bunk?" 

She was intent on walking right out of the room, but Ianto caught her by the arm. "Talk to me." 

With a disgusted look on her face, she turned and spat, "About what? The fact that I'm living in Wales like I'm in exile? That my sister is practically a vegetable? Or maybe the fact that my own mother won't even talk to me but is still perfectly happy to cash the checks I send home to her?"

"Yes," he replied.

"How about the fact that all this is pretty much your fault?" she snapped. She regretted the words the minute they were out of her mouth. 

Ianto let go of her arm and straightened.

Alicia said, "I'm sorry. It's not your fault. This was my choice."

"Be cross with me, Alicia. It's all right," he resigned.

"I don't want to be cross with you! I don't want to be cross with anyone! I want my life back! I want to be back home in my old job, and my little apartment watching Star Trek reruns with popcorn on the other side of the Atlantic where people drive on the right fucking side of the road!" She sighed. "But that's not going to happen." 

"Ben's worried you'll hurt yourself." 

"He's over reacting," she said, rolling her eyes. 

He took her by the arms and frog marched her to the bed, sitting her down. Then he started tidying her room. 

"You don't have to do that," she said.

"I know I don't," he replied. When all the dirty clothing was piled in one corner and some of the boxes had been rearranged to give her more space, he said, "I have a spare hamper you can use, and as soon as this case is done, I'll shift some of these boxes to one of the other rooms for you. Then I'm going to help you unpack the rest of your things." 

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked. 

He paused, looking as if he'd wanted to say something, but instead teased, "Well I did ruin your life."

"I didn't mean-"

"I know," he said, holding up his hand. He crouched down so he could look up at her. "Alicia, I understand I was only the messenger, but I still feel bad for it. I'm sorry, I am." He paused and then said, "I'd like for you to talk to a UNIT therapist."

Without any argument, she nodded.

"Good. When you're ready, come on upstairs. There's a salad with your name on it." 

As Ianto stood, there was a knock at the door. He opened it and Hart stepped into the room. "Ah, there you are Eye Candy." 

He looked from him to Alicia and back again. "Dollface is back. She swiped some DNA from the scene, it's being processed." 

"Darby?" Ianto asked. 

"It was from a used condom on the floor," Hart replied. "I've got her laptop and mobile upstairs if Peaches wouldn't mind helping me with them." 

Alicia nodded. "Sure." 

"Oh, trying to locate Darby's phone was a dead end," Hart said, with a shrug. 

"I'll go get Mandy's report," Ianto said. He squeezed Alicia's arm before he left the room. "You take all the time you need." 

Once Ianto was gone, Hart turned to her and asked, gently, "You all right, Peaches?"

For some reason, Alicia blurted, "Not really, no." 

"Well, think of me as a neutral third party with a non-time current point of view." He strode over to the bed and sat down. "Have you got your knickers in a twist over that sizzling sexual tension between you and Eye Candy?" 

She gaped at him. 

"Don't act surprised. You two have been eye fucking each other ever since we stepped off that air machine in Washington." 

She said, "I didn't think I was being that obvious." 

"No one ever does, do they?" he asked. 

She snorted. "True." 

"He and Jack invite you for a little manwich action?" Hart asked, waggling his eyebrows. 

Alicia let out a disgusted noise. "Do you have to put it that way? And not that it's any of your business, but no, they didn't."  

"But you want them to, don't you?" Hart asked, waggling his eyebrows. "Gets you tingling in all the right places, don't it, thinking about being the filling in that hot as fuck sandwich?" 

When she winced, he pointed at her and said, "See, that right there? That out-dated, twenty-first century prudishness that's also sprinkled liberally with this century's narrow views about marriage and sex? That's your problem, Peaches."

"What? Why? Because I don't want you to use some crude euphemism?" 

"No, because that crude euphemism makes you just as uncomfortable, if not more so, than the act itself and that's a level of discomfort that speaks volumes." 

She let out a frustrated sigh because the man had a point.

"Listen, Peaches, I'm trying to be a friend here. I get you're conflicted, I do, but if you think about it, I mean really think about it, those quaint cultural and religious norms you're clinging to aren't as rock solid as you think they are."

"Oh really? And what led you to that conclusion?"

"If they truly meant something to you, you'd ignore that tingle Ianto gives you and not think on it again. But instead, they're filling you with this free floating guilt and adolescent angst about it."

"Says the biggest fucking adolescent in a man's body I know," Alicia spat back.

Hart pointed at himself. "Me? Listen, Peaches, I get how others see me. Most think I don't, but I do. I might be crude and crass, but I'm not an idiot. I'm honest."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Ben's honest."

"Ben's tactless which is different. He likes to hurt people before they hurt him. That's not honesty, that's self defense," Hart said. 

"And it's not with you?" she said, skeptically.

"I serve up my honesty with a dash of sass for some laughs," he said.

"And how is that different?"

He took a deep breath and said, "One of your country's funny men once said that the saddest people work the hardest to make people happy because they know what it's like to feel absolutely worthless."

She blinked at him.

"Listen, Peaches, I like the attention and I was raised in a time and a place where people aren't ashamed of our needs. And lust is one of the most basic needs of the human race. It comes from the most animal part of us. In this backwards century, there isn't a person on the planet whose sex life wouldn't cause shock if it were broadcast to the world at large," he replied, simply. "This is what you need to do, Peaches. Separate how you feel from the way you think you should feel."

Rolling her eyes again, she said, "I'm such a hot mess."

"It's not your fault, Peaches. You've been through a lot recently," he said. He tucked one of his legs underneath him. "I probably should've said sooner, but I'm sorry about what happened back in Washington. And I'm sorry about your sister."

"Sorry. You're sorry. Ianto's sorry. Jack's sorry." She grabbed the pillow and smashed it to her face. She let out a loud growl then tossed the pillow aside. "Everyone's sorry but it doesn't do jack shit, does it? My sister's still practically a vegetable. I lost my job and my family and had to move to another fucking country across an entire ocean and all I know is it's because of timelines. You know what? Timelines can go fuck themselves."

Hart winced. "Look, Peaches... I was against keeping you in the dark. I argued that you deserve to know since you were the one taking the hit." 

"Thanks for that," she said, sitting up. "Believe it or not, I appreciate it." 

He turned to face her, and said, "But bollocks to Eye Candy, you deserve to know."

Alicia sat there, her eyes wide as Hart explained everything.


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the day passed without any sign of Andrew Darby and after his nightly chores were done, Ianto decided to sleep in the make-shift hospital room with Jack. When he climbed down from Myfanwy and Hywel's perch, he saw Hart just slipping into his coat.

"Captain, I thought you and Mandy had already left," he said. 

Hart looked up and said, "She was just looking in on Jack one last time." He paused. "You all right, Ianto?" 

Ianto nodded. "Tired." 

Hart said, "You know, I haven't forgotten what you and Jack did for me when she was six feet under in Mexico. If you don't want to be alone, you're welcome round to ours whether you'd prefer our bed or the guest one. Just sleep, mind." 

Ianto never thought this day would come, but he was touched. He squeezed Hart's arm and said, "Thanks, John. I appreciate that, I do. But I'm going to sleep downstairs with Jack." 

"If you change your mind, you have a key," he said, nodding. 

After waving goodnight to them, it didn't take Ianto long to get himself changed and onto the extra camp bed. Though he fell asleep right away, the blaring of an infusion pump woke him at an obscenely early hour. Ianto rose, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Annoyed he saw the electrical cord had fallen out of the back and the battery had run low, triggering the alarm. With the cord replaced, the irritating as fuck noise stopped. Ianto did a full check of everything and by the time he was done it made no sense for him to go back to sleep. 

Bleary, he went upstairs and started the coffee. He cooked himself some eggs and toast, then settled down with them in front of his workstation. After chugging down an entire mug of Jack's industrial strength coffee, he made himself another that he sipped more leisurely. Deciding to take another look at the facial recognition hits, he sat down turned on his computer. As he watched the boring footage of Darby, he nearly nodded off. 

After fixing himself a third mug of coffee, he returned to the footage, watching as Darby ducked into a clothing shop. Ianto had already seen all this. With the triangle of toast in his mouth, he brought up the second search parameter. 

They hadn't ignored the possibility the Watchers would have someone on Darby. They'd set the facial recognition to scan for anyone else in the same cameras near the same times as Darby. Thus far, there had been no hits of someone appearing more than once. They'd also set the facial recognition to look for their own Watchers, knowing that Darby's Watcher might be in proximity of his own colleagues. 

Ianto knew Hart and Alicia had already watched these videos and hadn't identified anyone. Another pair of eyes connected to a brain with a nearly eidetic memory couldn't hurt, so Ianto began playing everything with Darby in it, including five minutes before and after he appeared. 

After swiping the last of his toast through the eggs, Ianto frowned. Darby had triggered only five hits on the facial recognition software. No one appeared to be following him in any of the hits. Like his colleagues, Ianto brought up adjacent cameras. He was about to abandon the task-he was only killing time anyway until he could order breakfast for the team-but that was when he saw something. 

As he heard footsteps on the north stairs, he brought up the first video. It was from a camera down the street from Darby's flat. Ianto had noticed Shawn in view. That was nothing odd, but Ianto saw Shawn make eye contact with a few people. One of them Ianto recognized from the video he just watched. 

Yawning, Alicia walked over to him. "Ianto? Please tell me you're up early and not still up."

He ignored her and brought the most recent video up, splitting the screen. Alicia leaned over him and said, "Is that this morning?"

"Yeah, it is. It's right after he fled," Ianto said, pointing. "This is Shawn, following him up the street. You see this bloke here? Black button down. Faded jeans."

"Just some guy," Alicia said.

"I don't think so," Ianto said. He pointed at the more recent footage. "Here's the same guy, standing on a street near Veronica Harris's flat."

"Ianto, he's facing away from the camera in both shots. How can you possibly be sure it's the same guy?" Alicia replied.

Ianto closed his eyes, replaying every conversation he'd ever had with Shawn Graham. Had he mentioned the facial recognition software? Yes. Once or twice. Even if Darby had a team of Watchers following him rather than a single one to confuse Torchwood's facial recognition software, there wasn't enough footage to make any comparison. 

"Put him into the software, detailed movement analysis. If it's a match, have it scan backwards," Ianto insisted.

Alicia grimaced. "That could to take the better part of today."

There is a uniqueness in the way each individual moves. A person's gait, stance, and other characteristics were as individual as a fingerprint, but the analysis of so many data points took an enormous amount of processing power, and time. Both of these were why they didn't use the movement analysis often.

"I know," he said. "Scone and coffee for breakfast?" 

"Yeah, let me go back downstairs and change before I get started," she said. 

Ianto saw the pajamas and said, "I'm sorry Alicia. I didn't notice." 

"It's fine," she replied. 

"I know Jack's said, but there's no need for you to maintain traditional business attire." He waved around the Hub. "Torchwood has no official dress code. Owen..." He swallowed. "Some of us have arrived in nothing more than jeans and a faded t-shirt of questionable cleanliness. Fish adopts the same and Ben is more than happy to be rid of his uniform."

"I wear the suit for the same reason you do," she said. 

_Because my husband thinks its hot?_ he wondered with amusement. "Oh? And why is that?"

"You live here. When you're in jeans and a t-shirt, it's a clear message to everyone that just because you're here, you're not here, here. And it also helps to mentally separate it in your own head."

"I understand." He checked the clock on the computer. "I'm going to get changed, myself. Then I'll pop round the bake shop. When the others get here, tell them I'll be back shortly."

Used to the chore, it took Ianto little time to pick up breakfast and return. He dug out the various pastries, handing them to the team.

Before he could ask, Miranda said, "Jack is fine." 

He smiled in thanks and handed her a croissant. Then, he walked over to Alicia, and put the still warm scone down on a paper plate. Next to it, he set down the small pot of clotted cream. 

Alicia paused, then split the scone. She spread the clotted cream over it liberally. "I don't know where you Brits have been hiding this stuff, but my arteries don't thank you." 

"You should try it with jam too," Ianto suggested. "Just don't ask which you should put on first." 

"I've put on enough weight, thank you, and what does it matter which one you put on first?" she asked.

He decided not to go on about the merits of Devon versus Cornish.

After taking a bite of the scone, she put the back of her hand to her mouth and pointed at the screen. Her voice was muffled around the food. "That man you identified earlier? He popped up on Albany Road, facing away from the camera again. The movement analysis caught it" 

"No sign of Darby?" he asked. 

"No, but he was talking to this man," Alicia said, bringing up the image. 

"Phillip Barrie," Ianto said. "Cachu..." 

"Bless you," Alicia teased.

Ianto gave her an annoyed look. "I think I should be offended on behalf of my heritage. It means-"

"I know what it means," Alicia replied, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, who is this guy?" 

"He's in charge of Watcher operations in the UK. I didn't think someone so high up the managerial chain would be in the field so I didn't include him in the facial recognition. Can you put him into the system, John?” 

"Already done, Eye Candy. He hasn’t returned anything yet.” Hart added, bringing up another image, "This bloke showed up from the movement analysis. I put him into the facial recognition too. I'm just waiting for it to-" 

The beeping of his workstation interrupted him. Hart pointed at the screen and exclaimed, "Bing!" 

"'Bingo', the expression is 'bingo'," Alicia corrected. She paused, then added, "Unless you were referring to the noise, then 'bing' would be appropriate." 

"Right, here we are," Hart said, bringing up the video. "Loitering up by Albany road." 

"Isn't that near where Veronica Harris was killed?" Alicia asked. 

Hart nodded. "It is. We're lucky to get this hit at all. He was only looking in the direction of the camera for a split second. I think you were right, Eye Candy. They've got a team of people watching Darby so we can't track him as easily. They've got a rota going." He pointed at the two men. "This bloke is the one you saw only from the back before, and this is the one the movement analysis brought up." 

"That's good enough for me." Ianto called out, "Mandy? Can you get the SUV ready?" 

"You want us to come with?" Hart asked. 

"No, stay put, John. No mortals," Ianto insisted. He dropped the bag from the bake shop onto Alicia's desk. "There's something for Ben too, if he'd like. I know he's taking the day." 

"I'll bring it down to him, sir," Alicia replied. 

After a quick nod, Ianto went down to the armory. Though he still carried his sword, he'd taken up his husband's practice of being unarmed whilst within the Hub. Once he'd collected his gun and stun gun, he stood there surveying the racks of weapons, contemplating what else he could possibly use. While he always tried to follow his teacher's lessons, he didn't want to become a walking arsenal. He had added a few hidden blades to his person, but that was it. After a moment's consideration, he decided to not add anything else. 

He took out his mobile, but hesitated a few moments before texting Shawn where he was going and why. If Shawn insisted everything could stay as it was, he'd have to believe him. He could hardly think the Watchers would have an issue with him telling Shawn where he was going.

With his sword in hand, he walked down to the SUV to find Miranda leaning against the passenger side door. 

"Ready, Ifan?" she asked.

He nodded and got behind the wheel. With the lights and sirens blaring, he drove, Jack Harkness style, to where one of Darby's Watchers was last seen. He parked on Albany Road and got out, looking up and down.

"I don't see the Watcher," he said.

Miranda crossed the street, and turned right then left. Her voice came through his comm unit, "Nor I."

Ianto tapped his comm unit, to switch channels. "Alicia? Do you have anything?"

"The last hit was a block up, five minutes ago," she said.

With his hand, Ianto waved Miranda north. They walked briskly on opposite sides of the street towards the intersection. 

"Hey, Ianto!"

"Shawn?" Ianto said, turning. "I'm sorry, mate, I don't have time to have a chat." 

He tried to continue up the road, but Shawn stopped him. With his hand on Ianto's wrist, he said, "Look, I know you're looking for Darby."

Ianto shook off his friend and continued, turning right at the intersection. "I know, Shawn. I texted you to let you know I was here and why." 

He stood, watching Miranda cross so she could continue on the opposite side of the street. When she looked up, he signaled her to keep going. He tried to continue searching as well, but Shawn darted in front of him, his hand on Ianto's chest. 

"Shawn, why are you..." He trailed off as he saw the broken glass littering the pavement.

Shawn's other hand came up, grabbing his arm. "I'm sorry, man. I know you two were close." 

Ianto slapped Shawn's hand out of the way then shoved him aside. He ran down the street, then stood, transfixed, in front of the shattered window of Jacob Rosen's shop. All the glass display cases had exploded, their contents everywhere. Ianto could see Rosen's arm jutting from behind the counter, broken glass fallen on the palm. Rosen's sword was still resting on its display stand, untouched.

"No..." he whispered. Then cried, "NO!"

He tried to enter the building, but Shawn seized him around the middle. "Don't you do that! You don't wanna be seeing that, Ianto!" 

"Let go of me!" he shouted. 

Shawn dragged him back. "Ain't nothing you can do for him, man! Nothing!" 

He flung Ianto back towards the street and Ianto's back impacted a parked car. Shawn put his hand in the middle of Ianto's chest. "Don't go in there, man. You won't unsee that." Shawn sighed. "Darby ripped his head off." 

Ianto bent forward, sobbing. 

Miranda had crossed the street and stood, staring at the broken window. "May the Gods guide him to the afterlife."  

Shawn pointed across the road. "Veronica's flat's on the other side of those stores. Darby came through here after he killed her." He tapped his head. "He felt Rosen. The rest, well, you know."

Ianto moaned, "I should've told him to leave the city."

"This ain't on you, Ianto," Shawn said. He laid a comforting hand on his back. "You knew him. He never would've closed shop. Never. That man survived the Nazis, he wouldn't have backed down from this. He wouldn't even have thought he was in any danger." 

Miranda bent down and put her own hand onto Ianto. "Ifan, we have to move. Darby could still be nearby." 

Ianto surged up and fisted Shawn's shirt in his hand.

"Where is he?" he snarled. 

Miranda grabbed Ianto's hands, trying to get him to release Shawn. "Ifan! Stop!" 

"Back off, Mandy!" He shoved his teacher, then turned his attention back to Shawn. "I know you have a Watcher on him! So. Where. Is. He?" 

"I can't tell you that, Ianto!" Shawn said. He shoved him back with a strength that surprised Ianto as much as the venom in his friend's voice. "I love you man, but I ain't takin' a dirt nap for you!" 

Ianto grabbed Shawn's shirt with both hands and shoved him into the car. " _Where?_ " 

Shawn said nothing. He steeled his jaw and stared down his friend. Ianto shoved him into the car again. "You useless fucking wankers just sat back and watched when he murdered Veronica Harris didn't you? _Didn't you?_ "

 

Shawn turned away. "C'mon, man, you know how it is. That shit ain't black and white."

"You keep fucking telling yourself that," Ianto spat. He flung Shawn to the ground. 

Miranda swiftly stepped between them. "Cool it, Ifan." 

Ianto took a few steps back and fumed while she held out a hand to Shawn. Another older man strode forward and slapped Miranda's hand out of the way. He bent down to help Shawn up. Once the young man was on his feet, the other Watcher stood protectively between him and Miranda. 

"Yuri, it's okay." Shawn gestured at the older man. "Yi Mei-Xiu, this is Yuri Serov. Yuri, you know-"

"I know who this is," he said, his voice only slightly accented. 

 

Miranda gave him a polite nod and said, "Dobry den." 

The other man only nodded at her. 

She said, "Davajtye poznakomimsya."

He stood, his face blank, as he tilted his head, then he extended his hand. "Davajtye. Yuri Serov."

Miranda took it briefly. "Ochyen' priyatno." 

Ianto saw the man's eyes narrow briefly as she squeezed, her knuckles whitening.

"Mnye tozhye."

The Russian conversation was utterly incomprehensible to Ianto, but he assumed it was normal pleasantries and introductions since he heard the Watcher say his name. He tapped his comm unit to bring Alicia up to speed. Since there were no more hits on their facial recognition, Miranda and Ianto began canvassing. There were plenty of witnesses to the light show brought about by Jacob Rosen's death, but no one saw anyone fleeing the scene. 

"We're getting nowhere, Ifan," Miranda said. She flicked her gaze to the postbox where Shawn and Yuri were loitering. "The Watchers have likely drawn conclusions as to how we located Darby. They may have changed his Watcher." 

"Which will make facial rec useless again," Ianto said. He put his hands onto his hips and turned in place.

"Darby's gotten his revenge. He could leave the city to flee prosecution for the murders," Miranda said.

Ianto tapped his comm unit. "Alicia?" 

"Sorry, Eye Candy, it's me. Peaches is downstairs with Jack," Hart said. 

"Is there a problem?" Ianto asked, alarmed. 

"One of his pumps was going off, a line was kinked. Peaches is replacing it now, she's got a more deft hand with it than I do," he said. 

"Understood. Can you get me the full contact information on Darby's carers?" he asked. 

"Kid bounced around mostly in England but there are two carers in Wales. I'm sending you the information now. I don't think he'd go there, they were both when he was too young to remember," Hart said.

"I know it's a long shot, but it's all we've got now and facial rec is going to be useless if Darby's Watcher's been changed again," Ianto said. He jerked his head down the street. "C'mon, Mandy, let's get back to the SUV." 

Ianto settled behind the driver's seat and sighed, rubbing at his eyes. 

"At least the police are looking for him too," Miranda said, shutting the passenger door. 

Frustrated, Ianto shook his head. "If they do find him, it'll be a blood bath. Then we'll have the added complication of Darby being a cop killer." 

"Let's get back to the Hub and regroup. Maybe..." Ianto leaned forward, seeing a young woman running towards them. 

"Miss!" she shouted. "Miss!" 

Miranda rolled down her window and leaned out. "Yes? Can I help you?" 

She held out a small, beaded change purse. "You dropped this." 

Miranda frowned and looked at Ianto. "No, I'm sorry, that's not mine." 

"It is," she insisted, pushing the purse into Miranda's hands. She gave Miranda a piercing look. "You dropped it."

"Thank you," Miranda replied. The stranger gave her a friendly smile, then walked away.

"Strange," Miranda said. She unsnapped the clasp. There was a folded piece of paper inside. Her eyebrow raised as she read. "Darby is at St. Mellon's council estate."

Ianto leaned over, squinting at the note's Cyrillic writing. "Yuri Serov sent you that?"

"He must have," Miranda said, confused. She turned the change purse over in her hands. "This looks like it could've come from Rosen's shop."

"Why take that risk?" Ianto asked. He pulled into traffic, flipped on the lights and siren.

"I don't know," Miranda speculated. "It doesn't matter." 

"It does matter, Mandy. That could be a favor he could come to collect someday," he said. 

"We shall cross that bridge when we come to it," she said. 

The way Ianto was driving, it didn't take them long to reach the council estate. To their surprise, an ambulance was parked on the street. Its back doors were wide open, and the paramedics inside were performing CPR. A few people were standing behind the ambulance, peering into the back. 

"That can't be good," Miranda said. 

They got out of the SUV and jogged up to the scene. Ianto took his credentials from his pocket. 

"That's it." The paramedic doing the chest compressions sat back and wiped his brow. His partner sighed and let go of the ventilation bag. 

The other paramedic said, "If he pops back up, I'm not doing that again. Bloody arms feel like they're going to fall off." 

"Ifan? It's Darby," Miranda said. 

Ianto stepped forward, his credentials out. "Excuse us, gentlemen." 

"Well, ain't this convenient? We were just about to call you in," the paramedic said, standing. He jumped down to the street. "Weird one this is." 

The other paramedic turned around and shouted at the bystanders. "Oi! Clear off, the lot of you! Nothing to see here! Have some bloody respect!" 

Miranda began assisting with dispersing the small group. She turned to Ianto and said, quietly, "I'll start taking care of the witnesses." 

Ianto nodded to her, then turned to the paramedic and asked, "What happened?" 

The paramedic waved at a young man standing on the pavement who was refusing to leave. "Bloke there called it in. Said his friend was having some sort of fit," he said, shrugging. "We got here and that's exactly what was happening. Patient was in status, full on grand mal. The seizure wouldn't stop, no matter what we did. Just as we were loading him up, he crashed and burned, full on cardiac arrest. Body temperature's nearly forty-three. Poor sod's brain's cooked like a morning fry up." 

"What was weird about it?" Ianto asked, because nothing sounded unusual so far. 

The paramedic pointed backwards. "That's the bloody third round of CPR." 

"What?" Ianto gasped. 

"You heard me. We were all done, about to call for a police unit because there's no ID on him and he fucking wakes up. Bloody sat up, started babbling some such nonsense and then started having another fit!" he cried, clearly disturbed. "After another round, I call it. Again." 

"And he got up again?" Ianto asked. 

"Yeah, but this time there was no babbling or nothing. He just started having a fit," he said. 

Ianto said, "How long was he down in between?" 

"Don't know. Eight? Ten minutes tops?" He waved backwards. "Could pop up again for all I know. Coming back to life is definitely something for you lot." 

"Nothing can come back to life," Ianto said, smoothly. "Perhaps you were mistaken and your equipment is faulty."

Before the other man could answer, Ianto walked towards where Miranda was emerging from one of the flats. He leaned in to her and said, "They said he was only down ten minutes. We don't have much time." 

 

"I'll get a body bag," she said, then jogged towards the SUV. 

As Ianto walked briskly back to the ambulance, he said, "We'll take it from here, gentlemen."

The first paramedic shouted at him, "Oi! Even if my equipment is faulty, my fucking eyes aren't! I know the difference between alive and dead, I do!" 

Ianto nodded. "I'm sorry, you're right. Perhaps the patient has taken some new street drug." 

Miranda returned with a body bag rolled under her arm. She slid a syringe into his pocket as she handed him two bottles of water. Then she climbed to help the other paramedic take the trolley out. As she unrolled the body bag, Ianto passed the water to the two paramedics. "Don't worry, we'll take it from here." 

When done correctly, CPR is taxing. Appropriate chest compressions can leave even the most physically fit exhausted. Both men accepted the water with gratitude, drinking down the entire bottles. The situation worked itself out smoothly as they climbed back into their ambulance to begin cleaning. Ianto stepped to Darby's body, prone on the trolley and injected the syringe's contents into his heart. When Darby revived and his heart began to beat again, it would disperse the sedative throughout his body, immediately rendering him unconscious. Miranda had discovered this when she'd accidentally injected Ianto with the incorrect syringe. Ianto had come to life only with a slight jerk and then immediately fell unconscious. They'd started using the procedure to their advantage in certain situations, such as this one. 

The sound of two people impacting a solid surface caused Ianto turn. Both paramedics were passed out on the floor of the ambulance. Ianto helped Miranda unroll the body bag and get Darby inside, then he stood and started to wheel the trolley to the ambulance. 

Miranda said, "Wait, we'll use it to get Darby to the SUV." 

Together, they lifted the body bag up onto the trolley and Miranda began wheeling him towards the SUV. 

Ianto crossed to the ambulance and slammed the back doors shut, concealing the paramedics from view. He tapped his comm unit, speaking as he walked back to the SUV. "John?" 

"Yeah, Ianto?" Hart asked. 

"I'm sending you our current location. I need you and Alicia out here, as soon as possible. There's an ambulance that needs to be moved. Both paramedics have been retconned. Toss the back and take all the pain killers and the syringes. Make it look like a robbery." 

"You got it," Hart replied. 

"We also have Darby. He's dead, waiting to revive. I pumped him full of sedative. Can you set up one of the cells for us away from Jack?"

"Well, you could've led with that gem," Hart teased. "I'll have Ben set up a cell." 

"Ben's supposed to be taking it easy," Ianto said. A lump formed in his throat. "Is Gwen all right?" 

"It's okay, Ianto. Gorgeous rang a bit ago, said she wasn't feeling well, took the day. Said she'd probably not be in tomorrow either. Everything's all right with the little one, though. She told you not to worry. Ben's helping out. He swore up and down he feels fine," Hart replied.

Ianto made a mental note to ring her later. "Once you dump the ambulance, come back to the Hub straight away."

 

"Right, over and out," Hart said. 

Ianto walked got to the SUV just as Miranda shoved the bag further into the boot. He said to her, "Let's get him back. I think he should be reviving any second."

Miranda shrugged. "You pumped him with the sedative. He'll only be awake for a few seconds before-"

The bag gave a single violent thrash, half falling out of the boot. It knocked Miranda backwards and she hit her head on the pavement. She uttered an ancient curse. 

"Mandy? You all right?" Ianto asked, alarmed. He bent to help his teacher to her feet. 

She rubbed the back of her head. "Yes." 

"What does that mean anyway? It appears to be your profane exclamation of choice," he said, helping her to her feet. 

She said, "Literally translated? 'Burn someone's great-uncle'."

"There's an obscenity that loses something in translation," he said, dryly. He saw the blood on the pavement and then turned her, parting her hair. 

 

"It's nothing, Ifan," she said. 

"Let me at least pull the hair out of it so it'll heal faster," he said, running his fingers through her hair. He nodded at the body bag, which was still twitching and jerking. "Do you think we should do something that'll last a little longer?" 

Miranda looked around. "Everything I can think of would be rather gruesome. It's not causing him any permanent harm. We should get going. The sooner we get him back to the Hub and get that bracelet off of him, the better."  

He looked around. "You retconned everyone?" 

"Yes, all the witnesses should be unconscious by now," she replied, stepping around the SUV. She climbed back to her seat and caught sight of Shawn, Yuri, and an unknown woman off on the street corner. "Ifan."

"I see them." 

She gestured backwards at Darby. "This is a dangerously ambiguous area of the rules."

"I know. We'll discuss it when we get back," Ianto replied.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note everyone, when I posted, I accidentally skipped a chapter. Chapter 5 has been replaced so we're on chapter 8 now, not 7. Sorry, this is what happens when I have a prologue and an epilogue, the chapters look like they're out of sequence and with my brain fog I get confused very easily.

When Ianto pulled into Hub, Ben was waiting with the trolley. He got out of the car and said, "Thanks for pitching in on your day off, Ben. You're feeling all right?" 

There was a flippant remark on his tongue, Ianto could see, but Ben didn't say it. Instead, there was a brief pause and he said, "Not a problem. I can't fucking laze about anymore. I feel fine."

Ianto nodded and said, "Let's get Darby into the autopsy bay."

Leaving Miranda and Ben to handle the body bag alone, Ianto resisted the urge to dash down to check on Jack. Instead, he began preparing the autopsy bay to remove the bracelet from Darby's arm. He dragged over the tray stand and dumped a sterilized pack of instruments onto it. Then he began drawing up the various medications to keep Darby sedated.

By the time he heard the wheels of the trolley, he was removing his suit jacket. He draped it over the back of his chair, then began removing his tie and shirt. Ben let out a wolf whistle at Ianto's shirtless appearance.

"Wanker," Ianto teased and Ben winked at him. It was the most Ben had acted himself around Ianto in weeks. He pulled on the scrub top and helped them move Darby to the table.

Ianto and Ben positioned and restrained Darby, just in case. Then Ianto hooked up the infusion of sedatives that would keep him asleep. Miranda moved off to the side and began unbuttoning her blouse. She cast it aside carelessly and then went digging for a scrub top for herself. As she rummaged in the cabinet for one, Ben threw her some covert glances and Ianto resisted teasing him about it. Once dressed, she began opening the instruments and arranging everything to assist Ianto. 

Holding up Darby's arm, Ianto turned it this way and that, up and down, trying to get a more complete picture of what was going on. 

"It's what I suspected earlier. It's molecularly bonded to his skin," Ianto said as Miranda took a sample of Darby's blood. 

She paused as the tubes filled to lean over Darby and looked. "Yes, it is. Ben? Note the characteristic sloping of the skin up onto the metal." She pointed as she spoke. "See how the metal and the flesh look nearly continuous? The stretching and wrinkling here and here caused by the hyperplasia."

She checked the sedative drip as the pump began to beep.  

"Pointless that, isn't it?" Ben asked. "He's dead, right?"

Miranda nodded. "He died en route back here, but it will keep him down once he revives to let us work." She pointed. "I say we cut it in two places and peel it off." 

Darby jerked and Ben let out a shout. Miranda's hand was on her sword hilt as she watched Darby slack, she said, "And we're alive again. Something keeps killing him and it's not the sedatives. Probably that bloody bracelet."

"Doesn't surprise me, it's probably stressing his system," Ianto said. 

Ben swallowed hard. He pointed at Miranda's defensive posture. "What'd happened if you'd killed him in here? I mean for real."

"The quickening wouldn't be extensive, but it would probably be enough to blow all of the electricity and fry all of our equipment," Miranda said.

Ben pointed at the two of them. "How would it know where to go?"

"It wouldn't," Miranda replied. She waved between her and Ianto. "It would split between the two of us."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Well, today I learned..." 

"I'll never get used to that-people dying and popping back up again. You want me to get the bolt cutters out of the SUV?" Ben asked. 

"Please, and hurry," Ianto said. He carefully ran his fingers over where the metal and the skin joined. When he pushed on the bracelet, it shifted along with the flesh.

"That's a good sign," Miranda noted.

"Yes, I don't think we'll have a problem removing it. There may not be any structures tunneling into his arm," Ianto said. He laid his hand on the bracelet. "It's warmer than the skin."

Miranda touched the metal. "Significantly." She held out her left hand. "Feel, Ifan."

Ianto laid his hand over hers, feeling the greater warmth of her wedding ring. "Odd, that." He frowned. "Are they alien?"

Miranda nodded. "John said the metal is from his homeworld."

"Is it always warm like that?" he asked.

"Only when he thinks of me," she said, a shy smile on her face.

"Aww," Ianto said and Miranda playfully slapped his arm.

Ben came bounding into the room, holding out the bolt cutters. "Here you go."

"Ben, hold his arm up for us? Everyone ready? I don't know what this will do," Ianto said. After they both nodded, he lifted the cutters. The minute they touched the golden metal, sparks began to fly. The harder Ianto squeezed the more sparks flew. The Welshman's face twisted and reddened with effort. His biceps bulged, veins standing out as his face scrunched. "Fuck! I can't get it. Mandy? Here, you try." 

Miranda switched with him and took the cutters.

"Seriously, mate?" Ben said, eyebrows raised. With a smirk, he teased quietly, "She can't be more than fifty kilos soaking wet!"

Ianto turned to the younger man and with a serious tone said, "Ben, it's very dangerous to take things on their appearance at Torchwood. Mandy is much more powerful than she looks. She's lifted me clear off the ground."

Ben's eyes went wide. "You're shitting me?"

"A quirk of immortal physiology, nothing more, Mr. Murphy. I am older and much higher on the scoreboard," Miranda said. She positioned the cutters. "If you're both ready?"

"Go ahead, Mandy," Ianto replied. 

Miranda took a deep breath and squeezed the cutters. The sparks flew and she let out a frustrated grunt. Her face also reddened and scrunched with effort. After a few moments, she let out a growl. "Goddess below!" 

Wiping her face, she put the cutters down and took a deep breath. She handed the cutters to Ben who looked at her like she was mad.

"Well if you two didn't get it, no use in me having a go, is there?" he said, smirking, but took the cutters from her anyway. His attempt was also unsuccessful.

"Guess we have to cut him," Ben said, catching his breath. 

"I was trying to save Darby the healing," Ianto said as he pulled on the gloves. 

"I don't think this bastard deserves that much consideration," Ben remarked and Miranda nodded. 

Ianto was inclined to agree, but he didn't want to sink to that level. He picked up the scalpel and said, "We don't know what this thing's done to him."

"Oh? It's what caused him to go on a murder spree then, was it?" Ben said, sarcastically. He flicked the bracelet. "These sorts of things are like the drink or drugs. They don't change who you are, they just amplify what's already there." 

"Just help me get it off him. We can debate motive later," Ianto replied. 

"Whatever you say, boss." Ben took hold of Darby's hand and held it still as Ianto sliced. Once the skin was flayed away, Ianto cut down into the flesh underneath the bracelet, freeing it. He slid it off and tossed it into the tray Miranda was holding. 

"You want me to clean away the flesh?" she asked, then went to dig in the instrument cabinet for a scalpel. 

"Please. Use the gloves, though," he said. He picked up one of the syringes and began injecting around Darby's shoulder. Once he was done, he set Darby's blood to process through the analyzing machines and clamped off the sedative drip. "Ben? Help me get him down into a cell, please." 

By the time Darby was locked away, the analyzer had finished. Ianto examined the results, both relieved and annoyed at the normalcy of them. There wasn't a single value out of place. The toxicology had also come back clear. Frustrated, he set the papers aside so Miranda could look at them. He lifted his head when he heard Hart and Alicia enter the autopsy bay.

At their shaken appearance, he cried, "What happened?"

"The paramedics were awake and jumped us when we opened the back. One of them grabbed me by the hair, and cracked me against the side of the ambulance," Alicia said. 

"Just a few cuts and bruises for me, but I thought you should take a look at Peaches," Hart said, helping Alicia onto the table. He went to the cupboard and began digging for the antiseptic.

Ianto strode towards Alicia, penlight in his hands. After his exam was complete, he said, "You're fine. I don't see any sign of concussion." 

"I told you I was fine, Captain," she said over her shoulder to Hart.

"No harm in getting checked out." He handed Ianto a small bag. "We took any drugs of value." 

Ianto accepted the bag, wonder what, if anything, Hart had set aside for himself. "Anything further to report?" 

"We had to retcon them again," Hart said, stretching upwards. "Just a short dose so they couldn't remember seeing us. We left them in a pretty dodgy part of town."

"Thanks for taking care of it," Ianto said. He watched Hart dab some antiseptic to a scrape on his hand. "Are you all right?" 

Hart stood up and said, "I'm fine, Eye Candy. Just a few scrapes. Who's for Chinese? I have a craving."

"That thing with the pancakes," Alicia replied.

Ianto held out his credit card and the list. "The other usual orders for the team."

"Be back in a flash," Hart said as he tapped at his vortex manipulator.

"John, must you?" Ianto said. But he was gone before Ianto had finished the sentence with a snap and a flash of light. 

"Oh bloody hell," he muttered.

Alicia said, "He's not going to stop, you know that. Have Miranda talk to him. He's afraid." 

"That cyclist wasn't hurt," Ianto said, rolling his eyes. 

"But that doesn't matter. What if it'd been you? If you'd hit someone with your car?" she said. 

"I suppose. I'll talk to him. I'm going to go check on Jack and Darby. Come get me when the food's here. I'm bloody starving," Ianto said.

"Aye, aye, sir," Alicia said.

He thought she looked a bit waxy. What he wanted to do was gather her into his arms, instead, he awkwardly asked, "You're sure you're feeling all right, Alicia? You could have a kip, if you needed."

She nodded. "I'm okay."

He paused, scrutinizing her for a moment, then nodded once and turned for the stairs. He paused, looking back, and she was already typing at her workstation. Slightly out of sight, he allowed himself to stare at her for a few moments, admiring the curve of her neck. 

He and Jack had discussed Ianto’s growing romantic interest in Alicia as soon as it had emerged, and several times since. Because Ianto’s interest was more than just sexual, Jack had tried to get to know Alicia during her time here. To Ianto’s surprise, Jack also found himself attracted to her, but had raised concerns that Ianto shared. The last thing either of them wanted to do was take advantage of her vulnerability right now and after Ianto’s talk with her, he was even more resolute. 

_I could fall in love with her... we could fall in love with her..._ he thought with astonishment. While the whole triad concept was quite common in Jack’s time, it certainly wasn’t now. Ianto was completely comfortable with the idea of threeway or group sex, but a relationship was unknown and uncomfortable territory. He and Jack had had a number of discussions, and while they’d put Ianto more at ease, the entire concept still shook the foundations of what he believed about love. 

As he stared at her, he allowed himself a small fantasy. He pictured her in their lives, waking up and going to bed, cooking meals, going to thbe cinema.  _Leave her be..._  

He thrust the fantasy aside and continued to Jack’s room. When he got to the converted cell, he took a deep, steadying breath and lifted the cloth over Jack's face. The wounds were nearly healed. Jack no longer looked completely disfigured, but as if he'd been in a brawl. There were a few tiny scabs surrounded by new, pink skin. Ianto lifted Jack's eyelids one at a time. Both globes looked fully formed. He dug into his pocket for his penlight, shining it into Jack's eyes, watching the pupil constrict. 

"How is he?" Miranda asked, from the door.

Ianto didn't look up, but checked Jack's eyes again. When he directed the light into Jack's right eye, the left eye's pupil should also constrict slightly. "The left's consensual reflex is sluggish." 

He held the light out for her. She took it and performed the same action. "It is. But that's the eye that's been damaged most severely." 

"You'd think that'd heal up first. The eyes are important," Ianto said. After taking the light back, he walked over to the pumps. Instead of changing them, he hesitated, turned and asked Miranda, "Do you think I should turn him down?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Since he's almost fully healed and likely in significantly less pain, he doesn't need to be as heavily sedated. But you knew that already." 

He smiled and nodded. "Never hurts to have a second opinion."

"That wasn't what I would consider a complex assessment. You didn't ask for my opinion when you removed the ventilator."

Ianto shrugged. He expected her to nag him about medical school, as she'd done, off and on, since her return, but she didn't. Instead, she reported, "I cut most of the flesh from the bracelet and left it in the melting solution. Should be clean in an hour or so."

"Thanks, Mandy." Ianto ran his hand up Jack's arm. "When he's awake, I'm going to recommend destroying it."

Miranda said nothing, just nodded. 

"You don't agree?" he asked. 

"I didn't say that. I saw Darby's blood results. Everything was normal. I don't see a way to safely evaluate him to ensure there are no permanent changes. But if he wakes and doesn't break free, then I think we can be reasonably certain and take it from there." She paused and then added, "Oh, John's returned with lunch as well." She paused. "Are you all right, Ifan?" 

Ianto involuntarily glanced back towards the main Hub and said, "Fine." He cleared his throat then asked, "Have you looked in on Darby?"

"I did, from outside of the cell. He was still sedated, and his arm was nearly healed." She slipped the pocket watch from her jeans. "We should have enough time to eat, I believe."

The two immortals went back up to the main Hub and into the boardroom. The others were distributing the food around the table. As Ianto sat down, he tapped at the table, bringing up the video camera in Darby's cell. While they ate and talked, he occasionally glanced down at it. As he saw Darby stir, he knocked lightly on the table to get Miranda's attention. She nodded, but no one wasn't inclined to hurry her meal.

By the time they were done eating, Darby was fully awake. His arm looked completely healed, and the nerve block had also worn off. He was alternating between shouting into the hallway, sitting on the bench to rake his hands through his hair, or pacing. 

Once they'd cleared everything away, Miranda and Ianto picked up their swords. 

"You take point, Mandy," Ianto said.

While this was a Torchwood matter, Miranda was the older immortal. It was natural for her to take the lead, but she shook her head. "I'd rather observe, Ifan." 

Ianto nodded. He pulled the camera feed up on his mobile then handed it to Miranda. "Watch him. I want you to see how he reacts when we come into range." 

As Ianto walked towards the cells, he glanced back once to see Miranda staring down at his mobile's screen. With a deep breath, he continued. He made a mental note when he felt the pressure blossom between his temples. 

"Oi! Fucking finally!" Darby cried when they stopped in front of his cell. When he caught sight of Ianto, he shouted, "You! You were in my flat! What did you do to me?"

Ianto registered the anger coming from Darby. It was a manifestation of fear. He kept his voice carefully level and said, "There is a rift through time and space that runs through Cardiff, Mr. Darby. The bracelet you found was something that fell through. It's an alien device-"

"Alien?" he gasped.

"Or futuristic."

"Or both," Miranda interjected.

"Or both," Ianto concurred. "The device attached itself to you, that was the burning sensation you felt."

"Burning sensation? This wasn't an itch behind my bollocks! My whole arm felt like it was on fire!" he shouted. “It pumped me full of something too! Made me high as a bloody kite!”

Ianto ignored him. "To answer your question, we have removed the device.”

“Smashing. Let me out of here,” Darby insisted, waving at the door. 

“The situation is far more complicated than that, Mr. Darby, as I’m sure you’re aware,” Ianto said. 

There was the barest flicker of fear that moved across Darby’s face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Miranda muttered, " _Medacis_."

_Liar_ , Ianto translated and agreed. "What is the last thing you remember? Answer carefully, please. And don’t waste our time by lying to us.”

“That fucking thing had me so doped up I had no idea what the fuck was going on,” Darby insisted.

“Try,” Miranda snipped. 

Darby sighed and gestured at Ianto. "The last completely clear thing I remember is waking up and seeing you."

"And what I explained regarding the Game and your immortality?" Ianto asked.

"Mate, I was in shock. I barely registered what you were saying," Darby said.

Ianto reached up and pounded the glass causing Darby to jump back. "I'm not your mate. And you killed my friend!"

"What?" Darby asked, genuinely confused.

Miranda put her hand on Ianto's arm, guiding him back. "Mr. Darby, you obviously registered something of what you were told because you discovered another of our kind and killed him."

Darby blinked a few times in quick succession. "I don't... I couldn't..."

She also said, "You murdered your ex-girlfriend."

He took another step back. "Ronnie? Ronnie's dead?"

"Several of your former coworkers are also dead. By your hand," Miranda added.

Ianto watched the shock and surprise play on Darby's face. 

"No, no! I know what you lot are playing at! You think I've done this and I won't answer questions," Darby said, turning away from the glass. 

Ianto slammed his hand into the glass again. "Do we fucking look like police to you? Has the police caution come out of my mouth?" 

Darby's lip quivered. He shook his head and sat down on the bench. After running his fingers through his hair, "It's a dream. Wake up. Just wake the fuck up!" 

"This isn't a dream, Mr. Darby," Miranda said. She pulled back the sleeve of her blouse and raked one of her blades up her forearm. 

"What the actual fucking fuck!?" Darby cried, leaping to his feet.

Ianto performed a similar demonstration, slipping the same blade into the back of his hand. 

"That's impossible!" Darby cried pointing. 

Ianto pointed at his head. "That pressure in your head? That's us." 

Miranda paced to the other end of the cell, slowly. "Your immortality has left us in a bit of a quandary. You have committed serious crimes. We're quite at a loss as to what to do with you."

"I haven't killed anyone," Darby protested, feebly. 

At that moment, Ianto saw the shame flicker across Darby's face. He said, "It wasn't a dream or a hallucination. It was real." 

Darby strode up to the glass, pointing. "That thing did something to me! It wasn't my fault! I just wanted to talk to Ronnie! I wanted to pick up my stuff from my desk! I didn't want to hurt anyone!" He pounded the glass. "They were so loud! And then the walls started talking to me. The plants were whispering. The paper. The fucking chairs and the ceiling! Everything was shouting! Everything was so loud! I just wanted it to stop!" 

Miranda nodded at Ianto, flicking her eyes to the east stairs. The two immortals began to walk away. 

"Hey!" Darby shouted. He tried to follow them along the glass. "Hey! Don't you two fucking walk away from me!" He swung his arm up and he punched the glass. "Let me out of here, you bitch!" 

She paused and turned to him. Calmly, she said, "I think not." 

"Let me out!" he spat. He pounded the glass again. 

Ianto pointed at him. "You're going to stay put until we decide what to do with you." 

When she started to walk away, Darby punched the glass again, shouting, "You fucking bastard! You can't do this to me!"

Jacob Rosen's gentle face rose up in Ianto's mind. With ice in his gaze, Ianto stared at Darby. He was pleased when the other man paled and began fighting the urge to look away. "You get out of that cell in one of two ways-into the hands of the police..."

Ianto raised his sword and tapped at the glass. "Or into our morgue. Stand down or I shall decide the latter will be the better choice." 

Ianto was pleased when Darby's eyes went wide and he backed away from the glass. Back in the main Hub, Ianto turned to Ben and said, "See to some food and drink for our guest. And don't take any chances, use the slot."

Ben nodded and then went to fix Darby a tray. 

With a sigh, Ianto sat down at his workstation and said, "I have no idea what to do with him and I'm open to suggestions."

Miranda sat down at her workstation and put both her feet up on her desk. "My vote is to kill him." 

Alicia asked, "Isn't Torchwood policy to turn him over to the police?"

"Normally yes, but he's an immortal of the Game," Ianto said, sighing. "He's committed serious crimes. He'll be incarcerated for a long time. Someone is going to notice he's not aging.”

“If you're taking votes, Ianto, I'm with my wife. I say kill him and be done with it," Hart said. 

Ben walked past all of them with the tray of congealed leftovers. Ianto wondered if he'd even heated them. He noted the lack of utensils or even a napkin.

"How about stasis?" Ben asked as he passed. He didn't wait for an answer, just descended the east stairs.

Alicia said, "But he needs to face justice." 

"That isn't how it works for us." She lifted her sword from her desk. "This is our justice-the stroke a sword and the fall of a head." 

"That isn't justice, Miranda," Alicia replied. "That's an execution." 

Miranda let out a scoff. "I know the Game is new for you, Alicia, but you need to understand they are the same thing to an immortal of the Game. Mortal justice has no meaning to us. What punishment is incarceration to an immortal? Escape is as simple as a feigned suicide. A few decades in a prison are inconsequential when one can live centuries." Miranda waved between her and Ianto. "We have nothing but time." 

Ianto rotated in his chair. "My concern is the rules."

"There is no violation of the rules," Miranda said.

"I disagree, Mandy. We removed Darby from public view together. If he dies in our custody, it could easily be assumed we killed him together."

"And that's dangerous because...?" Alicia asked. 

"Cheats don't last long in the Game. Many who headhunt full time will actively search out cheaters, knowing their deaths will be undisputed," Miranda said. 

"So we're back to turning him over to the police," Alicia said. 

Ben walked back into the main Hub and sat down at his own desk. 

"Darby could spout all manner of nonsense once he was in police custody, but we've never considered it a concern before," Miranda said. 

Ben asked, "Who'd believe him? All sorts of nutters rave about all sorts of lunacy." He jerked his finger over his shoulder. "And there's a nutter if I ever saw one." 

"My main concern is the length of Darby's incarceration," Ianto said.

"Many immortals of the Game have become incarcerated." Miranda took out her mobile and tapped on it.

"What are you doing Mandy?"

"Asking a lawyer," she said. She turned to Alicia. "One familiar with the laws within England and Wales."

A few seconds later her phone beeped. "Forty years is most likely."

"Someone'd notice," Ianto said.

"Why is this our bloody problem? Don't those stalkers of yours handle this?" Hart asked.

"It is the responsibility of all immortals to ensure the secrecy of the Game," Miranda replied.  

Ianto sat, oscillating the chair, back and forth. "Ben?"

Ben shrugged. "I think this is a lot of rubbish I've no right to be speaking about. This Game? I don't know a thing about it. If he were a regular bloke, I'd say lock him up and throw away the bloody key. But he's not a regular bloke, is he?"

"There's mitigating circumstances here. He had an alien device attached to his arm," Alicia said. 

"As Ben said earlier, such things don't change who you are, they only amplify what is already there," Miranda said. 

Frowning, Ianto said, "I may have an idea."

"What are you thinking, Ifan?" Miranda asked.

After Ianto explained his plan, they discussed its merits and its flaws, and decided a key opinion was missing. Ianto asked, "Ben? Check the cameras up on the Plass. I want to see who's waiting up there with Shawn and Yuri."

"They're sitting on Shawn's usual bench above the Tourist Office. There's a woman with them," he said. 

"Thank you," he said, standing. He buttoned his suit jacket. Then he strode to the invisible lift and rode it up. He took the path around towards the Tourist Office with his back straight and purpose in his steps.

Yuri and Shawn stood sharply when he approached. The woman also stood. He held out his hand to her. "Ifan of Cymru." 

Eyeing him, she said, "Joanna McIntyre."

"You should not be here, Mr. Jones," Yuri said.

"I need a message delivered to Phillip Barrie," Ianto said. "We have a predicament of mutual concern. Torchwood would like to confer with the Watchers regarding Andrew Darby."   

Joanna shrugged. "What about him?" 

"The alien device has been removed from his arm. It appears to have caused no permanent changes. Torchwood policy is to hand him over to the proper authorities," Ianto replied. 

The three Watchers frowned concerned. 

"Given his crimes, you see our mutual dilemma," he said. "If Mr. Barrie is agreeable, I would like to meet with him to discuss the situation at his earliest convenience. Mr. Graham knows how I may be reached. Good day to you all."

Ianto turned on his heel and walked down to the Tourist Office. He unlocked the door and stepped inside. Once the door shut behind him, he let out a breath. The last thing he wanted was to be in the presence of Phillip Barrie again, but he had no choice. They needed the Watchers for this.

Just as the cogwheel door slid aside, his phone dinged with a text from Shawn.

[Two-thirty sharp. Tourist Office. Don't keep him waiting.]

Ianto looked what his watch. It gave him just over an hour to prepare. 

When he looked up, he caught sight of Jack, dressed in a white scrubs, leaning heavily on Miranda as they walked up the east stairs. 

"Jack!"

"Ianto!"

Ianto jogged over to his husband, kissing him soundly. When he pulled back, Jack said, "Will's filled me in. She said you went upstairs to talk to the Watchers?"

Ianto noted the slight droop to the right side of Jack's face as well as the barely perceivable slur to his speech. "Phillip Barrie will be here soon."

When Jack moved towards his office, but Miranda held him firm. "Jack, you need to rest." 

"I'm fine, Will. This guy's coming, I should be there," he said. 

Ianto cleared his throat. "Jack, Mandy and I will represent Torchwood, yes, but..." 

"But this isn't just about Torchwood," he said, flatly. 

"No, it isn't," Ianto replied. Jack gave him a resigned nod.

Ianto called out, "Alicia? Could you take Jack downstairs and get him settled, please? But I need you back upstairs in time for Barrie's arrival. He'll be at two thirty sharp and I want you upstairs in the Tourist Office before that." 

"Aye, aye, sir," she said, rising from her workstation. 

He gently ran his fingers down Jack's cheek. "I'll be down soon, cariad." 

Jack nodded and leaned on Alicia as she led him away. 

Miranda asked, "Do you think it wise to allow such a snake into our den?" 

With frustration, Ianto replied, "We don't have a choice, Mandy. I don't know about you, but I don't see a way to do this without them."


	9. Chapter 9

Alicia took hold of Jack's arm and led him down the stairs. Slowly, they walked down to the storage rooms turned flat Jack and Ianto called home. She walked him into the bedroom and settled him on the upholstered bench at the end of the bed. As if trying to kiss Ianto and fancying him wasn't bad enough, now she was intruding on their intimate space. Alicia tried to stop herself from imagining what Jack and Ianto regularly did in this bed and failed. She gave herself a solid mental slap.

"Are you in any pain?" she asked.

Jack opened his mouth to answer, but she didn't let him. With a stern look, she added, "Jack, do us both a favor, and just skip over every single part where you feel like arguing with me or lying. So I'll ask you again. Are you in any pain?" 

 

"Some," he said, obediently.

Alicia nodded. "Anything else bothering you?"

"I'm having trouble moving my right side. It's sluggish," Jack said. He shrugged with his left shoulder. "Probably residual brain damage."

"I'll be right back. Don't move from this spot," she ordered. She walked into the en suite, assuming an organized man like Ianto Jones would have anything they'd need available to them down here. She opened the medicine cupboard and saw the usual variety of over the counter medications. What Ianto and Jack needed them for was beyond her. There were also a few pill vials Alicia recognized from the autopsy bay pharmacy. She picked up the vial marked Harpocet. She'd gotten a full briefing on all Torchwood manufactured medications when she'd arrived and reached into her memory for the dosage. She took out a single pill and filled a small disposable cup with water. She went back into the bedroom, holding both out to him.

Jack looked at the pill and started, "I don't-"

"What did I say before about skipping the parts where you argue with me?" she snapped, holding out the cup and the medicine. 

Obediently, Jack took the cup and the pill from her. Alicia stepped around and began turning down the bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Jack trying to take off the white scrub top. These were specially designed for the situation. They had snaps and ties up the back for easy removal, but Jack was clearly struggling.  

 

"Wait and let me help you," she said.

Resigned, Jack sat there and waited for Alicia to finish with the bed. 

"How did you know that was my side?" he asked. 

"The nightstand's a disaster," she insisted. She waved to the left. "Ianto's got his coins stacked by size."

"Observant," Jack muttered.

"Well I'd say that's why you hired me, but I know it was mostly pity," she said, rolling her eyes. She began removing the scrub top and bottoms, fiddling with the snaps and the ties, then tossed them into the hamper. While attempting to avert her eyes, she asked, "Do you sleep in anything?" 

He shook his head. 

_Why am I not surprised Jack Harkness sleeps nude?_ She helped Jack stand and get under the sheets. There was no way for her to avoid seeing every inch of him and Hart's words rang in her head. Once he settled against the pillow, Alicia smiled at him and ran her fingers through his hair. Warmly, she said, "Get some sleep."

 

He grabbed her hand. "Sit down, Alicia."

She sat down on the edge of the bed. "You're here, because you sacrificed your life for humanity."

Confused, she said, "Last time I checked, I was still alive."

"But that doesn't mean you didn't sacrifice your life," Jack said.

 

Alicia nodded.

"It was good and noble, and it's the kind of thing we're going to need. You might feel like it was pity, but it wasn't. You're a valuable asset to humanity, you're just at Torchwood now instead of MiB," he insisted.

She blurted, "I tried to kiss your husband."

"I know," he said, settling back against the pillow. He brought his arms up, lacing his fingers behind his head. 

To Alicia's frustration, he was smirking. "I don't know how you can not be mad at me about it." 

"Well, he is hot." When she didn't answer, he lowered his arms and said, "Think about how differently people thought about marriage and sex thirty years ago and then expand it by a couple thousand years."

After a brief pause, she said, "I'm sorry about it anyway." 

He shrugged again and said, "Oh, well you don't need to be. Did you want permission to put the moves on him?"

She stood and cried, "No!"

Jack frowned, watching her stand there for a few minutes with her eyes shut, taking deep breaths. Tentatively, he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or something. I forget when I am sometimes."

Alicia opened her eyes. "I'm not offended. I'm just trying to follow John's advice."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "I don't know if taking advice from John is every a good idea, Alicia."

"No, I think it was sound," she said.

"Alicia, you really need to examine what you just said," Jack warned.

"Hey, I know you and he have this history but he told me I should think about all this confusing shit with you and Ianto outside of my... I forgot how he said it..."

"Narrow minded twenty-first century prudishness?" Jack suggested.

Alicia pointed at him. "Yes, that was it."

"And?" he asked.

Nervously, she said, "Look, Ianto's a great guy. You're both great. I mean, you're both totally the types of guys I'd be tripping over my own feet to get a date with, but... I'm a mess right now. The last thing I need to do is complicate my life with... with..." she waved around their bedroom, "with this. No offense."

"None taken." Jack furrowed his brow. "Did Ianto-"

"No!" she cried then closed her eyes and took another deep breath. "No, he didn't ask or offer or anything."

"Oh, because I mean, we talked about it, but we didn't decide anything, really. We were going to let you settle in more first," Jack said.

Alicia's jaw dropped and her eyes widened to saucers.

He sat up a little more and said, "Look, we're not proposing marriage here. Actually, Ianto and I haven't really talked about it so I'm not proposing anything at all, so calm down."

She shut her mouth and said, "I'm sorry."

"Stop being sorry," he said and yawned.

"Shit, you're supposed to be resting and here I am keeping you awake discussing a fucking hypothetical situation," she said, sighing.

Jack smiled and held out his hand. "C'mon. Stay with me till I fall asleep."

She said, "I don't think..."

"That a man and a woman can lay in the same bed platonically? Or that a single woman shouldn't be alone and in such close proximity to a married man she's attracted to?" he asked.

Alicia hesitated, then slipped out of her heels and took Jack's hand. She nestled herself behind him and rested her arm around his waist.

"If I fall asleep and I'm late getting back upstairs, I'm going to have Ben make you coffee for a month," she threatened.

"No promises," Jack said, settling in. 

* * *

Ianto's plan was to monitor the CCTV and have Alicia open the Tourist Office door at the precise moment Barrie went to knock or reach for the handle. Ianto's impression of the man told him he would appreciate the precision and the Watchers weren't the only clandestine organization that could put on a show. Had Alicia come up the north stairs a few minutes later, they would've missed the opportunity. Ianto had frowned at her deeply. 

Alicia escorted Barrie and his bodyguards into the Torchwood boardroom where the immortals were already seated with their swords on the table in front of them. It was a display of the Game within a Torchwood setting to strike a balance between the Game and Torchwood. On the same vein, they'd decided Ianto would lead the meeting.

He stood, carefully buttoning his suit jacket. He said, "Mr. Barrie, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"As your invitation was so polite, Mr. Jones," Barrie said, smiling, "how could we refuse?"

"Please, sit, gentlemen. Can I have Ms. Richards bring some refreshment?" Ianto asked. 

"A coffee would be lovely-that is if you have prepared it," Barrie said. "I've heard great tales of your brew, Mr. Jones." 

Once Barrie was seated, Ianto also sat. He didn't expect Barrie's guards to sit and they didn't. Instead, they flanked the boardroom entrance, hands clasped in front of them, looking faintly ridiculous. If they wanted to harm Barrie, two bodyguards would offer little protection. 

Patiently, they sat in silence, waiting for Alicia's return with Ianto's silver tray. When she set it down, Ianto nodded. She set the cups of coffee in front of everyone and then stood silently, waiting. 

"Thank you, Alicia," Ianto said. Silently, she left the room. 

Barrie lifted the cup to his lips and took a small sip. His eyebrow raised. "I see the stories were no exaggeration." 

"Thank you, Mr. Barrie," Ianto said. 

With his cup back in its saucer, Barrie said, "Before we begin this parlay, Mr. Jones, I would like to offer my condolences on the death of your friend, Jacob Rosen." 

"Thank you," Ianto replied, stiffly. 

"Mr. Rosen was quite fond of you, as I'm sure you already well know. What you may not know is that Jacob Rosen's lists you as his next of kin," Barrie said, gently. 

"Me?" Ianto asked with wide eyes. 

"I'm sure, as you know, Mr. Jones, Jacob Rosen was a survivor of Nazi genocide. His entire family, in fact, was lost to him either through Nazi cruelty or the passage of time. There is no one whom he considered family... except you." 

Ianto's only experience with Phillip Barrie was when he shot an unarmed man in the head. Unexpectedly, Barrie was speaking with sympathy and compassion.

"Mr. Rosen's last will and testament names you as it's sole beneficiary and executor."

Ianto blinked for a moment, shocked. 

"If I'm mistaken, Mr. Jones, forgive me. The Watchers can carry out Mr. Rosen's wishes. I assure you we shall respect all of his deeply held Jewish traditions-"

"No, Mr. Barrie, that won't be necessary," Ianto said. "I will see to everything." 

"I will put you in contact with Mr. Rosen's solicitor," he said, nodding at one of his bodyguards who began tapping on his own mobile telephone. "Now, to the point. Why am I here?" 

"We have apprehended Andrew Darby, and after some debate, we have decided what to do with him," Ianto said. 

Amused, Barrie said, "You needn't ask for our permission."

"We need your assistance to carry out our plan," Ianto said. At the impatient look on Barrie's face, Ianto said, "Please, hear me out before you pass judgement."

Barrie gestured for him to continue, then cradled the coffee cup in his hand.

"Thank you," Ianto replied. "As you know, Andrew Darby has committed serious crimes. We plan to turn him over to the police, but as he is an immortal of the Game, our situation is complicated. His immortality will be noticed over the course of his incarceration."

Barrie frowned. "That is hardly Torchwood's problem."

"Doctor Ryan and myself are game pieces, as you call us. Concealment of the Game is our problem," he replied.

Barrie nodded and gestured for Ianto to continue.

"We plan to allow Andrew Darby to stand trial for his crimes. Once he receives his sentence, he will pass it in our Archive," Ianto replied.

"You plan to keep him incarcerated here?" Barrie asked, confused.

"We have futuristic technology that allows us to place someone into stasis," Miranda said. "Darby will serve out his sentence asleep."

Barrie raised an eyebrow and said, "You require the Watchers to remove Darby from police custody."

Ianto nodded. He gestured at the Hub beyond. "I'm an efficient man, Mr. Barrie. I believe in the right tool for the right job. Quinn Colosanto was already placed within one of the most clandestine organizations in America, just on the off chance an immortal might cross his path. The Watchers are uniquely qualified for this task."

After a few moments, Barrie took a slow sip of his coffee. Gently cradling the cup, he said, "I believe the expression, Mr. Jones, is quid pro quo." He rotated to face Ianto. "We'll extract Andrew Darby and we will incarcerate him for Torchwood in exchange for this stasis technology you speak of."

Miranda let out a laugh. "Nonsense. That is hardly an equal exchange. Why would the Watchers have use for such technology?"

Ignoring her question, Barrie said, "We will also handle full damage control for the situation. We have no control over what Andrew Darby will say, but we can, however, control to whom he speaks and how he is perceived. A well placed psychiatric evaluation and a few altered court documents are small things."

"Again, it is hardly an equal exchange. You're just adding a few more keywords to your censoring, and utilizing networks already in place." She raised an eyebrow. "And you haven't answered my question as to what the Watchers could possibly want with our stasis technology."

Ianto said, "Torchwood cannot consider your request for futuristic technology unless we know exactly what will be done with it."

Barrie fell silent for a few moments and then said, "We run The Sanctuary."

Miranda uttered an ancient curse and spat, "You vile oathbreaker! You speak of non-interference, yet you maintain the Sanctuary?"  

The two thick men at the boardroom entrance stepped forward, but Barrie waved them off.

"What is the Sanctuary?" Ianto asked.  

Barrie ignored him and instead, answered Miranda in a cool tone, "We maintain the Sanctuary as a courtesy and kindness. I'm certain a woman of your advanced years understands, Doctor Ryan."

"It is hypocrisy," she spat.

"That's enough, Mandy." Ianto ordered. He turned to Barrie. "What is the Santuary?"

"A myth, I had thought, until now," she muttered. 

Barrie inclined his head and said, "Those game pieces that grow weary can choose to remove themselves from the Game, should they wish it. They are 'benched' so to speak."

"Why do you need our stasis technology for the Santuary?" Ianto asked, confused.

"For the safety of our staff and to guarantee the safety of those interred, we keep all of our charges in a medically induced coma," Barrie replied. "There is great expense incurred in the form of drugs and personnel. This stasis technology would be useful to us."

Ianto tilted his head. "I need to confer with Captain Harkness."

"By all means, Mr. Jones." Barrie stood. He reached into his breast pocket and took out a small card, placing it carefully on the boardroom table. "My card."

As he turned from the table, he stopped and grinned. He reached across to the cup of coffee and lifted it to his lips, draining it. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Jones. We can show ourselves out."

"Ms. Richards will return you to the Quay. Thank you again," Ianto said.

Barrie saluted Ianto with the empty cup as he replaced it on the saucer, then walked from the room with his bodyguards flanking him.

Once the cogwheel door rolled shut, Miranda turned to Ianto and said, "Ifan, you are not seriously thinking of handing over our stasis technology to them are you?" 

"I need to talk to Jack," Ianto said.

As he strode past her, she caught his arm. "Ifan, no. There is no discussion here. How could you even consider this?"

Ianto shook off his teacher's arm. "Barrie said it, Mandy. Quid pro quo. They're a global organisation with their fingers in everything. That's a powerful chit to be able to call in someday."

"And you believe they will write Torchwood a blank cheque?" Miranda countered.

"We can't control this situation as well as they can," Ianto replied.

"I think your worry is unfounded. We have never worried about what someone might say before," Miranda said. 

Ianto narrowed his eyes at her. "Retcon was invented by Sarah Trowbridge in 1985. What did Torchwood use before then?"

Miranda's back straightened.

He pointed towards the archive. "I'm Torchwood's archivist. I know all its secrets because I am the keeper of them." Staring her down, he continued, "Since joining Torchwood in 1952, you have silenced fourteen people so do not lecture me about what Torchwood has and has not concerned itself with. A storm is coming, Mandy. We need all the help we can get."

He walked out of the room and down the north stairs to the storage-room-turned-flat. When he stepped inside, he breathed deep of home with his eyes closed. A stab of embarrassment made his cheeks heat when he opened his eyes and saw Alicia sitting on his sofa. She looked comfortable, her bare feet tucked under her. She was flipping through the book Ianto had been reading and her hair was down. He wondered how she'd gotten down here so quickly from the Tourist Office. 

"Not that I'm one to complain about a beautiful woman in my home..." he said.

"But why am I here?" she asked with a gentle smile.

He nodded. 

"I wanted to check in on Jack. When I put him to bed, he still had some hemiparesis on his right side."

Ianto raised an eyebrow at the medical term. Bemused, he asked, "Hemiparesis?" 

"I looked it up." She gave him a careful look. "I wanted to make sure you were all right too. Things looked tense between you and Miranda." 

Ianto rolled his eyes and began unbuttoning his suit jacket. "Mandy just needs to climb down off her high horse." He jerked his head towards the bedroom. "Is Jack asleep?"  

"He was the last time I looked," she replied. She eased his jacket from his shoulders and took the hanger from the hook by the door. After slipping the jacket onto it, she stood there with an unreadable expression on her face. Something about the air and her presence made Ianto intensely uncomfortable. 

"Thanks for checking in on us," Ianto said, turning towards the bedroom door. Without thinking, he untucked his shirt and began unbuttoning it. "You didn't have to do that." 

"I wanted to," she replied. 

Ianto noticed the change in her voice and an increase in her breathing. He let go of the button in his hands and glanced at her, seeing the flush to her cheeks. When he turned back to his bedroom door, he saw her shoes on the floor, one toppled to the side. They looked like they belonged there and he pushed the thought aside as soon as it formed. 

"How did the meeting with Barrie go?" she asked. 

"Undetermined," Ianto said more sharply than he'd intended. The uncomfortable feeling deepened as he grasped the doorknob. "Thanks again for looking in on us, Alicia."

Telling her she could go or that she didn't have to say felt rude. So, without another word or waiting for her to answer, he opened the door and stepped through. Out of habit, he left it slightly open. The room was dim, but not dark. Jack was laying in their bed, on his side, but he was awake.

"Hey, Yan," he said, sitting up.

"How are you feeling, cariad?" Ianto asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

"Better," he said. "Those drugs make me groggy the rest of the day." 

"Alicia said you were having trouble moving your right side," he said.

Jack wiggled his fingers. "Piano ready."

"You don't play the piano," Ianto said, with a loving smile.

"Maybe I'll learn someday," he said with a shrug.

After Ianto finished unbuttoning his shirt, he tossed it into the hamper. "Can we talk shop for a moment? Are you up for it?"

Jack nodded, sitting up fully. "What happened with Barrie?"

Ianto took out his mobile and brought up the security footage from the boardroom. With the video playing, he passed it to Jack while he changed his clothes. When he was done watching, Jack said, impatiently, "Oh c'mon, Ianto, there's no way we can turn over futuristic technology to them. I don't care how covert or secretive they are." 

His belt unbuckled, Ianto stop undoing his trousers and said, "Jack, hear me out-"

"No," Jack said, adamantly. He threw his legs out of the bed and stood, nude. "The answer is no, Ianto."

"Jack, please hear me out on this-"

"No, Ianto!" Jack shouted. "How can you even come to me with something like this?"

"But Jack-"

"No, Ianto! I won't even give random, inert space junk to MiB or UNIT! You expect us to hand over futuristic technology to the Watchers so they can use it?" Jack cried."We're not a corner shop!"

Alicia asked from outside the door, "Everything okay in there?"

"We're fine," Jack snapped and started to pace. 

Ianto could see his husband was working himself into a full blown 'captain fit.' "Jack, please calm down and listen to me-"

"No, Ianto, I know the stasis technology seems pretty harmless, but there's a lot of information someone with the right research could get from it! It's not just a slippery slope! There's too many variables. There's too much-"

"Jack, I understand that, but-"

"Ianto-"

Alicia pulled her lips back and whistled. Both men jumped. Ianto turned towards the door. Alicia had a sour look on her face, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Okay, knock it off!" She pointed at Jack and said, "Sit down." When he hesitated, Alicia pointed at the bed and snapped, "I said sit!"

Jack obeyed, looking chastised. 

She said, sternly, "Ianto is the most logical and reasonable person I know, so how about you stop flapping your mouth off and listen to what he has to say because he wouldn't be asking if he didn't think it was worth it and I have a feeling that if you calmed down long enough to actually listen to him, you'd realize he probably has a good argument."

"Thank you," Ianto said.

Alicia's glare shifted to him. She pointed her finger at him and said, "Don't thank me for mediating between you two like you're children instead of two grown men. The way you frowned at me earlier? You could've silenced him with that look in a second." She snapped at them both. "So, how about you two behave like adults. You calm the fuck down, and you act like you have a pair. You two are married, for fuck's sake. Learn to communicate."

Ianto cleared his throat and said, "Jack, the Watchers are a powerful organisation. They have agents all over the world in just about every aspect of society. They put more than one Watcher in MiB just in case. Do you understand the level of infiltration they've achieved and how useful that can be?"

Jack held up his hand. "Let's say for a minute I'm willing to give futuristic technology to the Watchers, which I'm not. How is this an equal exchange? They extract Darby and then get the technology to put someone into a stasis? That's not even close to an even deal."

Ianto stood up and said, "It's not even right now. But when everything changes, who knows what we'll need? They're a global organisation, Jack. They're efficient. They're organized. Do I really need to go into how critical that could be?"

Jack sat there with his chin tucked into his chest for a few minutes, thinking. He looked up and sighed, "Make the deal."

"I'm sorry, Jack," Ianto said.

"Don't be." His husband shook his head. "The twenty-first century is when everything changes."

It wasn't the first time Ianto had heard Jack say that, but it was the first time he'd heard the words with so much bitterness in them.

Jack stared down at a point on the floor and said, "The walls are closing in and the lines are converging. There's nothing I can do. Time's running out."

Alicia stepped over to Jack, and put her arms around his neck. He accepted the embrace, turning his head to rest against her chest. The two of them held their hands out to Ianto. Without hesitation, he stepped to them, putting his arms around them both. 

* * *

The decision settled, Ianto arranged his next meeting with Phillip Barrie that very night, deciding on a neutral location. For an immortal of the Game, that meant holy ground. Knowing Jewish law required swift burial, it also gave him the opportunity to take care of another unpleasant task. 

 

"Once again, Mr. Jones, I am sorry for your loss," the young man said, holding out his hand to Ianto. "And I'm very sorry that we're finally meeting under these horrible circumstances. Jacob spoke of you often. You say the murderer has been captured?"

Ianto nodded. "He was arrested by police-a robbery gone wrong, they said."

The rabbi nodded, sadly. "Jacob was a good man. He was very active amongst our young people, passing on our traditions was very important to him as he had no children of his own."

Ianto let a sad smile cross his lips. "He often taught me, though I'm not Jewish." Then he let out a sad chuckle. "Whenever I said that, he would laugh at me and say, 'Nobody's perfect.'"

The two men laughed together. The Rabbi said, "I assure you someone will be with him at all times. The funeral directors are always very accommodating."

"I appreciate that," Ianto said. He held out his hand. "Thank you for allowing me to use your office. My business shouldn't take long. This meeting couldn't wait and neither could this." 

 

"Of course, it is no trouble at all," he said, shaking Ianto's hand. The young Rabbi left him at the front entrance to wait for Phillip Barrie. Ianto wandered across to a large bulletin board that had pictures from a recent social event. He saw Jacob Rosen's face smiling back at him. Ianto knew Rosen had been a religious man, and had attended shul regularly, but he didn't realize his friend had been active in other aspects of the local community. He had no idea how much of an estate his friend had, but Ianto would donate it all to this synagogue. The sound of the doors made him turn. 

This time Phillip Barrie was alone. Ianto noted the skullcap on Barrie's head. He walked over and said, "Thank you for coming, Mr. Barrie." 

"Of course, Mr. Jones," he said. 

"The rabbi said we may use his office," Ianto replied and led the other man down the small hallway. 

Once Barrie was seated, Ianto shut the door, then sat next to him in the second chair. "I'd like to conclude our business quickly so the synagogue may close." 

Barrie nodded. "I take it you have a counter offer?" 

"After my conversation with Captain Harkness, Torchwood is prepared to offer you the stasis technology, but we have some conditions," Ianto replied. 

"Of course. Name them," Barrie said. 

"You may not conduct research on the technology. You may make use of it only for immortals of the Game housed within the Sanctuary. Lastly, the technology cannot be shared with anyone else. Torchwood will provide you with enough information about the technology so that you can provide your own technical support," Ianto said. 

"All conditions we expected and are prepared to adhere to," Barrie replied. "Now, what would Torchwood like in return? In addition to the damage control and assistance in Andrew Darby's extraction and incarceration, of course." 

"A favor, to be granted by the Watchers in the future," Ianto said. 

Barrie didn't react immediately. He paused and considered for a moment. Then said, "I'm afraid I am not authorized to negotiate in such a manner." He took out his mobile and stepped to the door. "If you'll give me a moment, please." 

"Of course," Ianto said. 

Barrie left the room and Ianto sat there, thinking. He'd expected Barrie to refuse, and was unsure of how he would convince him. He had nothing else to offer and Jack had been clear Ianto was not allowed to concede any of the restrictions. Barrie didn't strike Ianto as the sort of man who would be swayed by the greater good or some manner of moral argument. He'd watched him put a gun to the head of an unarmed man and pull the trigger. Ianto was certain telling Barrie about the impending invasion wouldn't sway him at all. He had only one option and the balls to do it.

The other man sat and said, "I've just consulted with my superiors, and I'm afraid we cannot hand over a signed, blank cheque to Torchwood, Mr. Jones."

 

"I understand, Mr. Barrie," Ianto said. He stood and then buttoned his suit jacket. "I apologize for taking up so much of your time." 

"You are withdrawing?" Barrie asked.

Ianto saw the brief flicker of alarm on Barrie's face. Gotcha. Carefully controlling his own reaction, he shrugged. "I'm afraid I have nothing else to offer, Mr. Barrie. Our conditions are nonnegotiable and there is no other technology Torchwood will offer. We're done here."

"What will you do with Mr. Darby?"

Ianto gave Barrie another shrug. "I suppose we shall take our chances once he is handed over to the police." He turned towards the door and said, "Good night, Mr. Barrie." 

He opened the office door and stepped out into the hallway. He nodded at the Rabbi, indicating he was done. When he heard the office door and Barrie's footsteps behind him, he didn't turn, but started for the entrance. He made his strides confident and unhesitating, even reaching into his pocket to take out his mobile and began tapping at it nonchalantly. With one hand, he opened the synagogue doors while still staring down at his phone. When he got out into the open air, he walked to his car and unlocked the door, then unbuttoned his suit jacket. Just as he was stooping to get into the car, Barrie called out, "One moment, please, Mr. Jones." 

He wondered if Barrie had waited until that very moment to stop him, as halting the motion of getting into the car was awkward for anyone, but in particular for someone of Ianto's height. He ended up knocking his head on edge of the door opening as he stood. Trying not to appear eager or sound annoyed, he said, "Mr. Barrie?" 

The other man walked over to Ianto, his bodyguards behind him. He took one of his hands out of his pockets and held it out to Ianto. "If Torchwood would be so generous as to share its stasis technology with the Watchers, we would be in Torchwood's debt." 

Ianto grasped the other man's hand, shaking it. "Thank you, Mr. Barrie."

After releasing Ianto's hand, Barrie smiled and said, "Mr. Graham will act as liaison. He'll be in touch. Good night, Mr. Jones. My regards to your husband."

Ianto quickly flicked his eyes at Barrie's left hand, surprised to see a plain gold ring. _There's a lid for every pot..._ "To your spouse as well and thank you. Good night, Mr. Barrie."

The drive back to the Hub was quick. After parking, Ianto entered the darkened space, glancing upwards. He heard the gentle squawking of the pterosaurs. Before, Myfanwy had been largely silent. Now she had Hywel, the two would often hold conversations at night. The gentle and soft squawks and soft clicks made Ianto smile. Somehow, the sounds made the Hub feel more like home.

He descended the north stairs and opened the door to the storage rooms turned flat. To his surprise, Alicia was sitting on the sofa, slipping on her shoes. She looked up at him, a bright smile on her face.

"Hi!" she said, then began fiddling with the sling back buckle.

"Hi," he replied. He pointed at the bedroom. "Is Jack asleep?" 

Without looking up, she shook her head. "No." 

Ianto watched her as she cast the shoe aside. He hadn't seen her this relaxed or cheerful since she'd arrived. With a giggle, she said, mostly to herself, "Ha, screw it. I'm only just downstairs. Why am I bothering?"

He cleared his throat. "Alicia? Would you like to stay?"

She stood up, her fingers hooked in her shoes. She put her hands on his arms and kissed him. "No, I had a great time though. Thank you. Thank you both."

She pointed at the bedroom with a joyful smile on her face. "That? That was so perfect. You were both just so perfect. It was exactly what I needed."

She let out a laugh of pure happiness. "For the first time in my life, I really truly just let go." A lightness in her step, she walked to the door and opened it. "I have to call John and thank him too." She let out another laugh with her hand on the doorway. "You know this is like one of those moments in life I've only heard people talk about... those pivotal moments that shifts your perspective and changes the way you think forever. I never thought I'd ever have one of those because I always felt so certain about who I was and where I was going. But now? It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. I've never felt so free in my life!" 

With a nervous clear of his throat, Ianto asked, shyly, "Would you like to have dinner with us? Maybe a movie?" 

Alicia's grin turned into confusion. With one hand on the open door, she asked, "Are you both asking me out on a date?" 

Ianto didn't bother containing his own grin. "Interested?"

She took a breath and then opened her mouth to answer, but stood there, mouth gaping, not speaking.

The bedroom door open and Jack said, "It won't be in an office."

And Ianto smiled while Alicia let out a nervous laugh. 

"Is that a yes?" Jack asked. 

Apprehension and excitement filled Ianto. Is _this how he felt when he said the same to me?_  

"Yes..." she said, softly. Then louder, she said, "Yes."

With a flush to her cheeks and a shy smile on her face, she slipped into the hallway and shut the door behind her. 

 


	10. Chapter 10

Unfortunately, Ianto had to continue meeting with Philip Barrie over the next few weeks to hash out the details of their agreement. Finally, Ianto saw the light at the end of the tunnel and invited Barrie to the hub for whathe hoped would be his last meeting. He wanted a home pitch advantage and the reassuring pressure of Jack's boot against his shoe. 

This last round of negotiations wasn't without its snags, but in the end Barrie smiled and said, "Now that's settled, I hand the floor over to my esteemed colleague." 

Shawn stood and said, "Darby's being remanded to Long Lartin. Our plan is to hit the transport en route. We got a guy in the inside-a mechanic. He's going to sabotage the transport vehicle."

"Sabotage?" Ianto asked.  

"Just a flat tire," Shawn said, shrugging.

"There's potential for collateral damage there," Jack said, frowning.

"Murders and rapists?" Shawn gave him a look. He held up his index finger and said, sarcastically, "Oh, just gimme a second while I find a fuck to give." He began patting his pockets, then put up an expression of mock frustration as he looked up at Jack and said, "Damn, fresh out."

Barrie smirked as Jack rolled his eyes. He said, "How about the driver and the prison officers?"

"It's just a flat tire, Jack," Shawn said, as he sat. "It's not ideal, since we don't have an idea when the tire will become undrivable, but the chances they'll be hurt are minimal. It ain't like we rigging the car to explode or anything. It's just a tire. Once the vehicle's disabled, we'll drug dart everyone and extract Darby." 

"Isn't there any other way?" Ianto asked. "What about an escape attempt?"

Shawn made a t-shape with both his hands and said, "Back up, time out. We already bribed the mechanic. This plan's a go."

Barrie rotating his chair and said, "Captain Harkness, you seem to be under the mistaken impression that this plan is part of our negotiation. This is just keeping Torchwood in the loop, so to speak."

Jack glanced at Ianto and the two men shared a wordless conversation of facial expressions. Then Ianto said, "Go on."

Shawn nodded. "Darby's received a life sentence, so our next problem was calculating how long we'd keep him." 

"After some debate, it was decided to imprison him until he reaches the most common age of death rather than the average life expectancy," Barrie said. 

"Why?" Jack asked. 

"It's longer," Shawn said.

Barrie replied, "The average life expectancy for a mortal male living within the United Kingdom is seventy-nine. The average age of death is eighty-five. We considered, for a time, imprisoning him until the age of one hundred and thirteen."

"Why?" Jack asked. 

Ianto turned to his husband and said, "It's the age of Henry Allingham, an Englishman, and the oldest British man to date." 

Shawn nodded and said, "When Darby reaches the numerical age of eighty-five, we'll release him."

"What will you do with him?" Ianto asked. 

Shawn shrugged. "Wake him up, drop him back in Cardiff probably."

"Just like that?" Jack asked. 

"What? You want me to give him forty acres and a mule?" Shawn asked, sarcastically.

Ianto rolled his eyes at the American reference. Jack leaned forward and slid a flash drive across the table. Barrie caught it and turned it in his fingers.  

"Everything you need to set up in anticipation for the units is on that drive. Captain Hart will be delivering the units to you personally-" 

"No, he won't," Barrie said.

"Excuse me?" Jack said, narrowing his eyes.

Shawn said, "No offense, Jack, Ianto, but Yi Mei-Xiu is one of the most dangerous immortals known to the Watchers. There's no way we're letting her husband know where the Sanctuary is." 

Ianto gave Shawn a warning look with ice on its edges. "If she heard you imply that she would ever kill on holy ground, you'd be dead before I could stop her." 

"What makes you think the Sanctuary is on holy ground?" Barrie said. 

Ianto rolled his eyes. "It's not an unreasonable assumption. In fact, you'd be foolish to not have done." 

"We don't care where it is," Jack said, waving dismissively. "You don't want John to know? Then do whatever you're going to do to Darby."

"I believe Doctor Ryan would object to us killing her husband," Barrie said, dryly. 

Jack rolled his eyes. "Then sedate him. There's no way your techs can do the initial set up with just the information on that drive. The units need to be calibrated once they're on-site, that's something that takes experience and finesse your techs don't have." 

Barrie and Shawn shared a few looks and then Barrie nodded. 

"We can live with that," Shawn said. 

Barrie stood and said, "We'll be in touch shortly to schedule everything."

He held his hand out to Ianto to seal their gentleman's agreement. As Ianto grasped his hand, Barrie had the same skin crawling smile he'd had when he'd shot Kiernan in the head. "A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Jones." He turned to Jack and held out his hand. "And Torchwood as well."

Jack took his hand and said, "Yeah, you too. Let's never do it again."

Barrie's smile deepened. "Quite." 

Shawn shook Ianto and Jack's hands as well. "Fuck you very much, Jack." 

Ianto gestured towards the boardroom exit. "Mr. Murphy will escort you to the surface." 

Barrie and Shawn strode from the room with the two bodyguards behind them. 

Ianto sighed and turned to his husband. "That went better than I thought."

Jack gave him a sour look on his face and rolled his eyes. "I'll be upstairs."

He practically stomped past Ianto and out of the boardroom. With a sigh, Ianto went out into the main Hub. Before he could open his mouth, Miranda said, "You look knackered. Off you pop. Everything's in hand here."

"Thank you," he said, relieved. He loosened his tie as he went down the north stairs. When he opened the flat door, Alicia was in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove. She was wearing a simple cotton camisole and a pair of pajama bottoms that were far too big for her because they were Jack's. She had the waistband rolled down, but the legs were so long they extended well past the end of her feet. He smiled. Alicia did this constantly and it annoyed Jack to no end, but he never tried to get her to stop.

"Hi!" she said, cheerfully. "Everything all done?"

Ianto nodded. "Jack's up on the roof."

Alicia gave the pot one last stir and walked over to him. She slipped his suit jacket from his shoulders and hung it. "He was that upset?"

"Jack doesn't like no-win situations," he said.

"Well, maybe we can help him cheat on the Kobayashi Maru," Alicia said.

"The what?" Ianto asked.

"How can you not get that reference?" Alicia said, eyes wide. "That's it! You and Jack are watching the entire original series of Star Trek with me. Then we'll move on to the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise." 

"We've already watched Star Wars. Are you really going to make Jack and I watch over seven hundred episodes and thirty years worth of television?" Ianto said. He walked towards the bedroom to change out of his suit.

"Hey, you're both immortal and it's never too late to get a little culture!" Alicia called out. 

Smiling, Ianto sat down and changed into his own pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. He glanced to the en suite, feeling like he needed a shower, but decided against it. Whatever Alicia was cooking smelled fantastic and he was hungry. He stepped out into the lounge and said, "I feel like I need to have a shower."

"Was it that bad?" Alicia asked.

He shook of a memory of the countryside. "Barrie makes my bloody skin crawl."

Alicia gave him an understanding nod. 

"Get comfy. Soup's ready, but we can wait for Jack," she said.

"What sort?" he asked. He opened a drawer in the kitchen and took out a spoon. The smell was driving him mad. 

"I finally got my aunt to part with her recipe for beef barley soup," Alicia said proudly. "It'll make you feel better."

"I had no idea you could cook," Ianto said. 

"Did you think I sat in my apartment in DC and starved?" she said with a laugh. 

"I used to eat a lot of takeaway when I lived alone," he said. 

"You think I maintain this figure with take out?" She struck a pose and Ianto whistled at her. 

"It smells fantastic," Ianto said, leaning over. He tried to reach into the pot with the spoon, but Alicia slapped his hand away. 

"Wait for Jack," she said. "He's supposed to be the one with no manners, you know." 

Ianto sighed and walked back towards the lounge to sit. "Barrie really got under his skin. I don't know how long he'll be up there. He tried to renegotiate portions of the agreement we'd already closed and settled." 

"Like?" she asked. 

"Like the number of units. He tried asking for twenty-five even though we'd already settled on twenty. Then, he wanted to conduct research." Ianto said, dropping down onto the sofa. "I don't know why he kept pushing. I wonder if he was egging Jack on for some reason."

"But why?" Alicia asked. She stirred the soup once more than turned the hob down. 

"I don't know. He wanted full schematics too." 

"That was a point you didn't want to concede either," she said. She walked over to him with her wine glass in her hand. When she held it out to him, he shook his head. She added, "You didn't want to make reverse engineering it too easy for them."

Ianto nodded. "It's easy enough as it is. The only thing futuristic about the stasis tech are the theories behind it. The technology's pretty basic. Everything is time current. I mean, Torchwood's been putting people into stasis for nearly a hundred years."

"What'd the final deal end up being?"

"Twenty units. All the software and specifications for their network. One year of direct support so we can train their techs and help to support the network on their own. We'll still work with their techs afterwards for a few years until they have the hang of it," he said. 

"John's gonna love that," she said with a smirk and a roll of her eyes. She sat down next to him, tucking her legs underneath herself. 

"Well, he's the only one who knows the future and knows what they can and cannot be told," Ianto said. He craned his neck. "Can I help you with anything?" 

She shook her head. "Just waiting for Jack. I thought we could do dinner informal-bowls on the couch, maybe a movie or something." 

"You didn't have to cook," he said. 

"I like to cook," she replied. 

"Did you clean in here?" he asked. 

"I just ran a dust cloth over things," she replied with a shrug. "I had the day off and I know how you like to keep the place tidy. It's not like my room is a big cleaning job. I dropped our stuff at the cleaners too."

"Thank you for doing all that," Ianto said.

"I wanted to," she said, smiling. She moved into his lap, draping her arms around his neck. "You take care of everyone. You deserve to be taken care of too."

"Thank you," he said, pushing hair out of her eyes. He leaned forward, running his nose along her neck.  

"Ah, stop!" she protested feebly. "I smell like frying onions."

"I like that smell," he joked. He nuzzled his nose into her neck and she giggled. 

"Stop!" she said, laughing. 

Ianto pulled back and smiled at her. He brushed her hair out of her face. Her eyes were sparkling. 

He asked, “Think we can finish before Jack gets back?"

She gave Ianto a scandalized look. "What's the fun in rushing? And why on earth would we want to finish before he got here?" she replied with a laugh.

Ianto laughed back. He kissed her deeply, then said, "I think, I'd like to have you all to myself for once." 

When he went to kiss her neck again, she put her hand on his chest. "No." 

He leaned back at the clear refusal. "What?" 

"Only the three of us," she said, sternly. She spoke so fast her words began to run together, "I mean, this is fine. Well, it's not fine. What I mean is the two of us getting started, just the two of us is fine, but never all of it. Like, all the way with just the two of us. I just want it to be the three of us. Not without Jack. Or just me and Jack." She paused just long enough for Ianto open his mouth and then added, "You and Jack is fine though." 

He frowned. "Why would just me with Jack be okay, but not with just you?" 

She took a breath, looking ashamed. "If it was just you and me or just me and Jack, I'd feel too much like the other woman." 

He hooked his finger under her chin. "You are notthe other woman. You never have been and you never will be." He added. "This isn't a couple, Alicia. It's all three of us. Trioedd, cariad."

She tensed, the way she always did when he used his usual pet name for Jack with her. 

"I'm not okay with it," she said, softly. 

"All right," he said, nodding. 

He made a mental note to talk to Jack. If Alicia wanted intimacy only between the three of them, despite what she said, it meant intimacy between only him and Jack was off limits as well. He didn't mind and he was sure Jack wouldn't either. What made Ianto sad was Alicia still didn't feel she was a part of their relationship over a month later. He had no idea how to convince her this was an equal three-way partnership and that she wasn't just a guest in their marriage. He needed to sit down with Jack and discuss it.

"Well, since I can't have you to myself, what do you say we neck like teenagers on the sofa whilst we wait for Jack?" Ianto joked. 

Alicia laughed, yanked off her shirt, and said, "Sure!"

With a laugh of his own, Ianto pushed her backwards onto the sofa, laying between her spread thighs. She moaned loudly as he rolled his hips. Ianto continued to attack her neck with his mouth as his hands roamed. He used the opportunity to see how far she would let him go without Jack present. 

She gasped his name, softly. And without thought, the Welsh words tumbled, breathlessly from his lips, “ _Rwy’n day garu di..._ ” 

Alicia didn’t understand and laughed, saying, “One day you’re going to just sit back and read me an entire novel in Welsh.”

“If it gets you this turned on, it’d be my pleasure.” His hand eased into her soaked knickers, and then his fingers slipped inside her. She let out a loud cry. As his fingers moved within her, the flat door opened. Ianto barely noticed. 

"Oh, don't stop on my account," Jack said. 

"I hadn't planned on it," Ianto said. He slid his fingers out of her and held them out for Jack who began sucking them. Simultaneously, he heard Jack unbuckle his belt. 

"I think I want to watch you two this time," he said, huskily. 

Alicia laughed, sitting up and reaching her hand into Jack's trousers. "That's what you said last time!"

"I can't help that you both make a tempting picture," he said, grinning. He shouted, "First one naked and in bed gets to be in the middle!" 

Ianto and Alicia began untangling themselves from each other as Jack ran into the bedroom, laughing the entire way.

Alicia cried, "Cheater!" 

 

* * *

 

"Can I get you anything else?" the server asked. 

"Dessert?" Jack offered. 

Alicia shook her head. "I'm good." 

Ianto smiled and said, "Just a check, thank you." 

Alicia sat back and sipped her wine. "Thanks, guys, this was great." 

"Well, we wanted to buy you dinner before we took advantage of you this time," Jack said with a sly smile.

She winked at him and laughed. "You don't need to bribe me." 

"We treat a lady properly," Ianto said as he signed the paper slip. When he handed it back to the server, he saw Shawn over Jack's shoulder, standing outside of the restaurant talking on his mobile. The man's presence wasn't unusual, but the fact that Ianto could see him was.

He looked at his dates and said, "Shall we?" 

The three of them stepped out onto the pavement. Alicia put her arms through Ianto and Jack's, standing between them. With a wide grin, she said, "What time's the movie?" 

"Hey, yo, yo!" a voice called out.

They all turned to see Shawn Graham walking towards them. Usually Shawn followed Ianto as unobtrusively as possible. It was unusual for Ianto to see him, let alone for him to make his presence known. 

"Sorry to gate crash your night, guys," Shawn said, slipping his mobile into his pocket. "Ianto? You got a sec?"

Ianto looked to Jack and Alicia. "Be right back."

He followed Shawn a fair distance and said, "Something the matter?"

"I hate to ruin your evening, but I got some bad news," he said, sighing. "Our man inside was a little over zealous with the transport sabotage." 

Ianto swore in Welsh and then said, "I told you it-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, all right? You can do the 'I told you so' dance later," Shawn interrupted. "I get it. We fucked up." 

"What happened?" Ianto asked. 

"The tire didn't just go flat, it blew out. The driver lost control and the transport flipped. He's got a couple bruises. The prison officer's got a busted arm. Just bumps and scrapes for the transported cons, but no one on the transport was seriously injured," Shawn said.

"Thanks for letting me know," Ianto said.

As he turned to go, Shawn grabbed his arm. "I ain't finished." 

Ianto raised an eyebrow. 

"Somehow..." Shawn sighed. "Somehow, Darby got out of his restraints when the whole thing flipped. When our men moved in, he attacked them... and escaped."

"What?" Ianto cried. "Where is he now? And don't you dare say you can't tell me." 

"I'd tell you if I knew, man, but we lost him," Shawn admitted. "We got no clue. He could be halfway to Timbuk-fucking-tu by now." 

"Cachu," Ianto muttered. 

Hesitant, Shawn asked, "You and Chen are the only game pieces in play in Cardiff now, Ianto. I hate to ask-"

"If we sense Darby, we'll let you know," Ianto said. 

"He could come after you. You know that, right?" Shawn said. 

Ianto nodded. "I know." 

Shawn craned his neck, eyeing Alicia and Jack. "He could come after them too. He might not have that thing on his arm anymore, but he's a man who's got nothing left to lose. And that makes him even more dangerous if you ask me."

"I know," Ianto said, holding his hand out to his friend. "This won't disturb our arrangement."

"Thanks for that," Shawn replied, nodding. He leaned, looking at Alicia and Jack. "You three look good together. I'm happy for you, man. I never been lucky like that."

Ianto smiled and said, "You have Ashley."

"Yeah, I suppose I do." His friend smiled and Ianto swore he flushed a little. "I got no idea why a fine woman like her's slumming it with me," Shawn said, sighing. He smiled at his friend, then raised his hand in farewell to Alicia and Jack. He said to Ianto, "Y'all have a good night."

Ianto frowned. "You're not following us to the cinema?"

"Oh, I thought you were headed back to the Hub," Shawn said, rolling his eyes. "I hope you're letting her pick the movie."

"Why?" Ianto asked.

"Cos you and Jack got shit taste in movies, man. If I have to sit through one more crappy movie, I'm putting in for a transfer," Shawn teased as he walked away.

Ianto let out a small snort. He turned when he heard Alicia ask from behind him, "Why do I get the feeling that what he told you was nothing good?" 

For a minute, Ianto debated saying nothing or lying, not wanting to spoil their evening. Instead, he admitted, "The transport ambush went pear shaped. Darby's in the wind."

"What?" Jack and Alicia cried simultaneously.

Ianto put his hands up and said, "There's nothing we can do about it."  
Alicia said, "But he could come after you!"

"So could a lot of immortals. But the smart thing for him to do is to get as far from here as possible," Ianto replied.

Jack eyed him warily. "Ianto-"

"Let's just go to the cinema and have a nice evening," Ianto interrupted. He wiggled his elbow out at Alicia. "C'mon, you two. I want to see the previews."

 


	11. Chapter 11

Alicia couldn't stop smiling lately and it was all down to Jack and Ianto completely sweeping her off her feet. In her grand plan for her life, two men at once was something she thought people checked off on a naughty bucket list or a bad Facebook quiz. Sex? Sure. A relationship? No fucking way. But here she was, giving it a try.

What Alicia had thought would complicate her life, had settled it and brought her peace. She'd stopped fighting her life here, and had started trying to build one. It had been just over a month now, and Cardiff was starting to feel like home, and it had everything to do with Jack and Ianto. How much happiness they had brought her wasn't just surprising, it was unbelievable. Her whole life had imploded, but here she was, deliriously happy.

And the sex? Holy shit, the sex! 

Alicia had had more creative, athletic, and earth shattering sex in the past month than she'd ever had in her entire life. Memories of last night sent blood rushing south. As she stood in line at the sandwich shop, she had to suppress a groan. She took a step as the queue advanced, and the movement shifted the tender, well used flesh between her legs. Each step was a reminder of the night before. 

_Well you did ask for it_...

She grinned and could feel herself blush a little even though the pornographic images were only in her own mind. Her bottom lip ended up between her teeth as she remembered the feeling of Ianto and Jack both moving within her. 

There was a light throat clear behind her. The person in front of her had left and she was next. She turned and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry!" 

She stepped forward and said, "I'm picking up the order for Doctor Owen Harper."

Alicia had no idea why Ianto always put the team's take away orders under that particular name. She supposed it was better than 'Torchwood'. Ianto always insisting on using this particular sandwich shop as well, even though it was farther from the Hub than other shops. Alicia assumed it was because the owners' son, Andy, was possibly a rift victim. The fading missing person poster was displayed in the shop's window. She assumed his disappearance was from a negative rift spike.

After she'd paid, with the sandwiches in hand, she stepped out of the shop and started back towards her car. Just as she reached it, her mobile beeped. Jack had been sending her dirty text messages all morning, as if her knickers didn't need changing already. She took out her phone. It was, indeed, a message from Jack. She assumed it would be some manner of double entendre or explicit sext. Instead, she let out a barking laugh that drew a few stares. 

It was a dick pic.

_Nice to see you're keeping it classy, Jack..._ she thought with an eye roll. _Wait... was that...?_

She looked at the picture again. The large erect penis displayed on her screen wasn't Jack's. It was Ianto's... with Jack's hand around it. She didn't know if it was a good or bad thing she could tell the difference. She couldn't believe Jack had convinced Ianto to allow him to take and send such a picture. 

_Oh, that is just cruel!_

They were back in their flat, having fun without her, and trying to lure her down there in the middle of her work day. Not that they hadn't done that before, successfully, but it was... _Unprofessional?... Harassment?... Probably both._ Well, every single time it had certainly been fun.

Her phone dinged again. It was sent using Jack's phone, but she was positive Ianto had taken it because it wasn't a picture of his or Jack's penis. It was nothing more than a picture of their bed with the blankets pulled back, but she smiled.

She had about fifty thousand different things she needed to do this afternoon when she got back to the Hub, the least of which was distributing this lunch to the team. 

_Fuck it. You only live once._

She grinned and unlocked her car. With the door open, she dropped the sandwiches onto the passenger seat. There was a sharp pain in her shoulder, and an arm reached around to grab her. Her training kicked in and she attempted to unbalance her attacker, but the drugs kicked in faster. Her vision swam and her body felt like lead. Strong arms reached out to grab her as she fell. She tried to scream to get someone's attention, but her brain became befuddled so fast she didn't know if she managed it.  

As a trained soldier, Alicia had never feared for her safety. She'd always been completely confident in her ability to defend herself, lethally if necessary. Now fear caused a cold sweat to break out over her body as her legs gave way. She didn't even get a look at her attacker before the world went dark. 

An unknown amount of time passed before she opened her eyes to find herself bound to a metal folding chair. There was a thick, sour taste in her mouth and a stiffness in her neck. Her brain was groggy, like she was thinking through molasses. After blinking a few times, she lifted her head. She was inside of a warehouse. It looked largely empty. Whoever had bound her to this metal folding chair had done a thorough job. Duct tape completely covered her forearms and her calves. Her legs were angled backwards with the heels of her feet off the ground. She yanked against the tape. _Nope... not budging..._

Being abducted was a real risk for a Torchwood agent. It was why she had a subcutaneous tracker. For a minute, she wondered whose captive she was. There were a number of possible scenarios, but it didn't matter. Alicia had no way to lift her arm to see if her subcutaneous tracker was still in place or not. She did a quick mental check of her body and figured she was mostly unharmed aside from the headache from the drugs used to sedate her. The grogginess was quickly fading. She started looking around, trying to locate something sharp enough she could possibly free herself with. _Now I know why Miranda's always armed to the fucking teeth_ _._

After a few more tugs at her arms and legs, she gave up attempting to loosen the tape. There was no way she was getting free without the aid of something sharp. 

The door to the warehouse opened and Alicia didn't bother feigning unconsciousness. She turned and saw a blurry figure walking towards her with a plastic grocery bag. She snapped out, "Hey, asshole! Let me go!"

She wasn't overly surprised when Andrew Darby's face came into view. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie. He set the bag down on one of the wooden crates and took out a couple bags of crisps, and a few bottles of water. Darby didn't turn around and only responded with, "I'm sorry about all this, I am."

He still didn't turn as he twisted the top off of one of the bottles of water.  

"Untie me and I'll give you sorry, you son of a bitch!" she shouted. 

Darby let out a snort, and turned. "I'm guessing you know who I am." 

"Yeah I do," she snapped. She yanked against the duct tape. "You know, when my boyfriends get a hold of you, you're going to regret the day you were fucking born."

_Oh, they're "your boyfriends", eh?_ A distant part of her mind snickered and Alicia rolled her eyes at herself. _Oh my God! You've been kidnapped and taped to a folding chair! This is absolutely not the time to evaluate your love life... sex life... whatever! Jesus Christ, get a grip and some appropriate fucking priorities!_

"You say that like I don't already." Darby let out another snort. "You know, I've had a raw deal my whole bloody life, but I tried not to let that shite define me. I get it. I'm an arse. But I'm not a murderer. I'm not a killer." He slipped a straw into the water bottle and stepped over to Alicia. "You know, I dream about it, every night. I can hear the screaming when I close my eyes." 

He held the water bottle out to her. "Don't drink too much. I won't let you out of that tape if you need the loo." 

When she hesitated, he added, "I've not done anything to it. Look, I get my word don't mean much, but for fuck's sake you've just seen me open it." 

Alicia took a few swallows of water. "Thank you." 

He nodded. "You're welcome." He waved at the bag. "Crisps?" 

"No thank you," she said. "Why are you doing this?"

He walked away and sat down on the crate again. He reached into the front pocket of the hoodie and pulled out a gun and a large knife. The next thing that emerged from the bag was another roll of duct tape. He yanked a length off. She expected it to end up over her mouth, but instead, he stuck the tape to the cloth of the jeans a few times, almost playing with it.

"You know, I thought that boyfriend of yours was completely cracked. But while I was inside, I did it proper, you see," he said. He held the piece of tape up, pinching it to test the stickiness. He pressed it to his jeans again and pulled it off, then tested it again.

He stood up, holding the tape in his hands. “There was this bloke, wonky tattoo on his arm. Real chummy to me, he was." 

When he lifted it to Alicia's face, she turned her head, "Don't! No!" 

"Oi, calm down, I'm not gonna hurt you," he said. Once the tape was in place, he sat down on the wood crate. "That bloke, you see, he explained to me how this new situation of mine works and why when I took enough smack to kill an elephant I woke up in the infirmary feeling like I'd been hauled over hot broken glass instead of not waking up ever again." 

_Jesus..._

Darby kicked the crate and spat, “I wish I'd never seen that fucking case. Wish I'd never even touched it." He wiped at his eyes and said, "Now look at me. I'm a convicted criminal heading for forty plus years in prison. I deserve it, I do. I get that. The blood of those people's on my hands."

His voice began to shake. "But I can't go to prison. I can't. They'll eat me alive in there, they will. And I can't. I just..." He shook his head as the fear shook his voice. "I can't." 

He wiped the terrified tears from his eyes. "And from how it’s been explained to me, there's only one thing that's gonna stop the screaming and me spending eternity behind barbed wire and concrete trading as someone's bitch."

Alicia tried to speak through the tape, to tell Darby about the Sanctuary and that he didn't have to go to prison, but nothing but mumbling came out. 

He snorted. "Maybe I'm a coward for not being man enough to take the licks I deserve, but so be it." 

He sat back down on the wood crate and reached down. "Nicked this from one of those hobby stores. Reckon it isn't even real, just a decoration. Not that it matters." 

She struggled and tried to speak slower to make her words understood, but it was useless. She tried pushing her tongue against the tape to loosen it, but it didn't budge. While Darby had reduced the stickiness enough so it probably wouldn't take her skin with it when it came off, it was still stuck on properly. 

_Oh no..._  

"That boyfriend of yours? The bloke in the suit? I've seen him before, I have. Used to nick cars with this older buddy of mine. His mum may've rotted in that looney bin and his tad may've been a bastard, but he's done good for himself now, by the looks of it. And I see the way he looks at you. He'll come for you, no mistake." Darby took a sip from the water bottle. "I'm counting on it, I am." 

* * *

Ianto sighed as he pulled on his trousers. "Well, it was a nice idea."

Jack nodded, also getting dressed. "She'll be here tonight. We're probably offending her by trying to lure her into bed during the day again."

It had taken Ianto a significant amount of time to will away his erection. In fact, he'd pondered disappearing into the en suite for a quick wank as Jack had done. As he buckled his belt, he asked, "You're all right with this?"

Jack nodded. "Of course, Yan. I don't want to emphasize to her that it's us plus her anymore than you do." He jerked his hand towards the en suite. "Sorry about that, by the way." 

"Why are you sorry?" Ianto asked. 

"I was noisy," Jack said, putting on his socks. 

"I'll redirect it tonight." Ianto sat down to put on his shoes. "I don't know what else to do to convince her that's not the way we want it or even the way we see it."

With a shrug, Jack said, "This is the twenty first century, Yan. She's probably only thinking in terms of couples. It's something she's got to come to on her own."

"True," he said with a sigh. He paused and said, "What do you think about asking her to move in with us?"

Jack lifted his head. "I don't know. I know we've mentioned it on and off, tossing it around, but you think we're there already? It's barely been a month. "

"She's spent every night here for the last three weeks, Jack, and she's stayed just to sleep quite a few times," Ianto said, waving at the bed. "Most of her clothes are in our closet. Her bloody beauty products have taken over the whole bathroom. You've been nicking her shampoo."

"I like the smell," Jack said, defensive.

Ianto stepped into his shoes then sat down to tie them. "I think having her move in is the only thing that will finally get her realize that this is about the three of us."

"I suppose we can talk to her," Jack said, shrugging. 

Ianto saw the uncertainty in that shrug. "You're not ready?" 

Jack shook his head. "To start thinking about the possibility? No, but this is still the beginning phase. We're happy. We're honeymooning. I think we should wait until we have our first big threeway blow out."

Ianto sighed. "You do have a point there. I hate that she thinks she's not a part of us." 

The sound of a mobile phone dinging cut through the conversation. "That's yours, Jack." 

Jack walked to his nightstand and picked up his phone. "Hmm, I don't recognize the number." He unlocked the phone and tapped. "Ianto!"

Hearing Jack's alarm, he crossed the room and looked at the screen and read, [Hi, it's Alicia]

"Odd," Ianto said. 

"Wrong number?" Jack asked. "It's kinda cryptic."

"I don't recognize the number either," Ianto said. 

While Jack held the phone in his hand a second text came through from the same unknown number. [I'm leaving for Philadelphia now]

Ianto frowned for a minute, then his eyes went wide. "It's from Shawn! Something's the matter with Alicia."

Without bothering with his suit jacket, he snatched his sword up and bolted out of the flat.

"What? Ianto?" Jack shouted behind him.

Ianto shouted over his shoulder, "It's a code. Shawn and I developed it ages ago. Philadelphia means danger."

He took the north stairs two at a time, then skidded to halt in front of Ben's workstation. After slamming his sword down on the desk, he shoved the younger man out of the way and yanked the keyboard out of his hands. "Sorry, Ben."

"Oi, help yourself, why don't you?" Ben said. He irritatingly raised his hands up. "What's got your knickers in a twist?" 

Jack pushed Ben back. "Something might be wrong with Alicia." 

"What?" Ben cried, alarmed. 

"I'm activating her tracker," Ianto said, tapping away. 

Jack squinted at the screen. "Is that...?" 

"The warehouse we caught Myfanwy. It's Darby. I know it," Ianto said. He picked up the sword and without another word to anyone ran for the hallway to the garage. "Stay here, Mandy. He's mine." 

"Ifan!" Miranda shouted, running after her student. "IFAN! WAIT!" 

Ianto ignored her as he got into his car and sped off. He was frantic as he drove towards that warehouse. He was so desperate and frantic, he scarcely remembered the drive. He decided to park some ways away so Darby wouldn't hear or feel him. 

He squeezed the steering wheel and let out a growl of frustration. Just as he was about to get out of the car, Miranda's voice whispered in his mind.  _An attack made in anger has already failed..._

His heart was pounding, the blood boiling in his veins. He was desperate to reach and save Alicia, the fear of losing her was nearly overwhelming him. He closed his eyes. With a deep inhale, he rolled his shoulders and exhaled. He concentrated on the feeling of the air moving out of his lungs, through his nose. 

When he opened his eyes, a question emerged, _He could've just killed her. Why didn't he?_

It was an intriguing question, but it was a question for another time. He reached over and began removing the weapons he kept concealed inside of his car. There was a knife inside the glove box and one in the trunk. He slipped them both into his belt.  

As he walked towards the warehouse, a torrent of other emotions began welling up. It was a place with which he was intimately familiar. This was where his confusing feelings towards Jack began and came to fruition when he asked that man to marry him. The idea he could lose Alicia here, somewhere he so closely associated with love, made his blood run cold. The fear gripped his heart, causing his mind to race with desperation. He took another deep, slow breath. 

He crouched to avoid being seen as he approached the door, but it wouldn't matter. Darby would feel his presence anyway. He used his PDA to determine there were two people inside of the warehouse, both seated, and both far enough away from the entrance to not feel him. He opened the door a fraction of an inch, only enough so he could get a look inside. Alicia was strapped to a chair, facing away from him. Darby was seated in front of her on a wooden crate. He was positive Darby would feel him the minute he stepped through the door. Darby had a gun in his lap and was picking at his nails with a buck knife. There was a katana behind him. Even from this distance, Ianto could tell it was a fake. Against Ianto's own sword, it would snap like a twig. 

With Alicia facing in the opposite direction, Ianto couldn't get any real idea of her condition. The sleeve of her blouse was torn and there was an obscene amount of duct tape holding her to the chair. Both sent Ianto's blood pounding with rage again, necessitating another moment to collect himself and form his strategy. 

Silently, he slipped the throwing blade from his ankle strap, glad for Miranda's recent instruction in the weapon. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and took a moment to centre and clear his mind as she had taught him. When he opened his eyes, he flung the door to the side, sprinting into the warehouse at full speed. With a flick of his wrist, the blade pinwheeled through the air with accuracy and skill, sinking deeply into Darby's shoulder. The gun fell to the floor as Darby leapt off the crate, crying out and jerking in surprise and pain. Ianto landed a solid punch to Darby's face, stunning him. He closed his hand around Darby's throat as he kicked the gun aside. 

He snarled, "You will regret kidnapping the woman I love!"

Bending low, he scooped up the buck knife Darby had dropped. He seized Darby's wrist, slamming the other man's hand down onto the wood crate. With all his might, he buried the knife into his hand. The blade sank through the flesh and bone, burying itself into the wood below as Darby shrieked. 

Ianto took the hunting knife from its place on his belt, holding it level with Darby's tearing eye and ordered, "Stay!"

Then he repeated the action with Darby's other hand. Darby's legs gave way beneath him as he screamed. Panicked, he began pulling at his hands, trying to free them. After watching him for a second to ensure he was going nowhere, Ianto grabbed the katana and flung it as far as he could. It hit the floor with an ear splitting clang that echoed through the cavernous space. 

He crossed swiftly to Alicia, carefully peeling the duct tape away from her mouth. It came away easier than he'd thought it would. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her. "Cariad? Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" 

She shook her head. Through the tears, she choked out, "No." 

He assumed it was the same answer for both questions. He began to cut away the tape as quickly as he could. "I'll have you free in a minute." 

The moment she was free, Alicia stood, frantically ripping the tape away from her arms and legs as she sobbed.

"Shhh," Ianto said, softly, pulling her to him.

He held her close, whispering soft Welsh words to her. "I've got you. You're all right." 

It took her only a few seconds to compose herself. Then with murder in her eyes, she strode towards Darby. After punching him solidly in the jaw, she shouted, "Fuck you!" 

She turned back to Ianto and said, "I'd tell you to smoke his ass, but it's exactly what he wants." 

Darby looked up at them. Through sobs, he said, "Go on! DO IT!" His voice shook with pain. "Just fucking do it!" 

_Suicide by immortal_. 

Ianto walked over and gripped the knife. He planted his foot on the crate and yanked. When the blade came free with a rip and a spurt of blood, Darby let out a painful yelp. Ianto removed the second knife and then undid his tie. He slit it in half with the knife, then tied them tightly around Darby's hands. 

"You'll heal up in a few minutes," he said. 

Darby let out a small sob and began to tremble with fear. "What that thing made me do... I still hear them screaming... the begging... I deserve it, I do, but I can't go to prison. I can't... I can't... I can't..."  

The safest thing for him to do was to finish Darby off and not give him a chance to gain skill, come back, and possibly engage him. He turned to Alicia and said, "Tell me what you want me to do, cariad." 

"Me? Why me?" she asked. 

"Because Justice and Prudence are personified as women for a reason," Ianto said. 

"He has a sentence to serve," Alicia said, without hesitation. 

Ianto turned to Darby and said, "Justice has spoken. Her sword falls and stays mine."  

He took out his mobile and sent a text to Shawn, who was standing outside. It took less than a minute for Shawn to open the side door and stand next to his friend. 

"I see you found what we were all looking for," Shawn said. 

"Take him to the Sanctuary," Ianto said. 

"You sure about that, man?" Shawn asked, eyebrows raised. He waved around the warehouse. "Ain't nobody here but us chickens."

"He has a sentence to serve. Justice has spoken," Ianto said. He strapped his sword to his back. "You're not going Long Lartin, Andrew. The Sanctuary will be your prison and you will sleep through your sentence." 

There was confusion on Darby's face, but Ianto figured the Watchers would explain more thoroughly. 

Shawn noted, "He could come back." 

Ianto shrugged. "He could." 

He looked at Darby and said, "I am Ifan of Cymru. Do not forget that name. It is your choice what you do with this chance she's given to you." He took a menacing step towards Darby. "A piece of unsolicited advice? Coming after me or threatening someone I love again would be choosing poorly." 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

Ianto parked his car on the road and walked up to the detached yellow house. He took a moment to admire the beautifully manicured lawn and blooming flower beds. After ringing the bell, he waited with his hands around the basket handle.

A tall, lanky man opened the door. He was wearing a brightly colored striped shirt over a white t-shirt and pair of dark trousers. There was teal eye liner and mascara on his eyes along with a generous layer of well applied eye shadow. He looked Ianto up and down, with a bemused leer. With a significant lisp, he said, "Sorry sweetie. We don't share, even if you do look amazing in that suit and come bearing gifts."

Ianto smiled and held out the basket in his hands. "Forgive me for arriving unannounced and uninvited. I have important and urgent business with your husband. I hope you'll accept this token as sufficient apology for my rudeness." 

"Martin? Who's at the... door...?" Barrie said, trailing off as he saw Ianto.

The off-balanced shock on Barrie's face gave Ianto immense pleasure. As did the slightly fearful stammer in Barrie's voice as he said, "Mr. Jones. My, my. What a surprise."

"I've already offered my apologies to your husband for interrupting your weekend," Ianto said, brightly. He held out the basket, waiting. 

"I'm afraid we are not in a position to entertain today. Martin and I have plans, you see," he said, briskly. 

"Oh, I won't take up much of your time, no more than ten or fifteen minutes," Ianto said, leaning forward. "It is a matter of some urgency." 

Barrie was clearly caught between a rock and a hard place. Reluctantly, he accepted the basket and surveyed its contents-a variety of whole bean coffee, an electric burr coffee grinder, a French press, and two mugs.

"Thank you, Mr. Jones." He gestured at the doorway. "Do come in. Would you like some tea?"

Ianto gave Barrie a smile and stepped through the threshold. "Thank you." 

Martin asked, "How do you take your tea, Mr. Jones?" 

"Black, please. Thank you," Ianto said, brightly. 

"Well, I'll put the kettle on then," Martin said, stiffly. He gave his husband a glare, and walked towards their kitchen. 

Barrie turned to Ianto, his hands clasped behind his back. "Why are you in my home, Mr. Jones?" He glanced out of the window. "And where, might I ask, is young Mr. Graham?" 

Without being invited, Ianto strode into the lounge and sat down on the sofa. The doily on the arm shifted and he carefully put it back in its place. After crossing his legs, one ankle on the other knee, he said, "I'm afraid I've left him sitting at his post outside the Tourist Office."

Barrie smirked and said, "I believe I shall have to a speak with him about that." 

He didn't take the bait. Barrie asked again, this time attempting to add bite, "I'll ask you again, Mr. Jones. Why are you in my home?"

"Something never sat right with me. And it wasn't the way you shot Kiernan Davies in the head with a smile on your face." 

Ianto had spoken louder than he normally would have done. To his satisfaction, Barrie nervously turned towards the kitchen. "I suppose I'll bite. What was it that didn't sit right with you?" 

At that moment, Martin entered the lounge, a lacquered tray in his hands. He handed Ianto a china cup on a mismatched saucer. Then he held out a plate of chocolate digestives. "Chocolate biscuit?" 

"Thank you," Ianto said, accepting one. He slipped it onto the saucer with a smile. 

Sensing the tension in the room, Martin glanced at his husband, nervously, as he moved to sit in the other armchair. Before Martin could settle into the chair, Barrie tugged at his shirt. Smiling, he said, "Martin, would you mind terribly excusing us? Mr. Jones and I have things to discuss. Work matters, you see."

Ianto could see the glare. Martin didn't believe a single word his husband had just said. 

"Please, darling?" Barrie asked, a begging smile on his face. His entire face was screaming at his husband to leave. "Perhaps you could ring Victor? I'm certain he's home. You have been wanting to go to brunch with him for some time." 

Ianto smiled and picked up the teacup. "Oh, please, don't leave on my account. I won't be taking up much of your husband's time." 

Clearly caught between manners and Barrie's desire to get him out of the house and away from Ianto, Martin said, "Well, umm... if you'll excuse me, I've a dress that needs altering." He leaned down and kissed Barrie on the cheek. "I'll just be upstairs." 

Barrie reached up for his husband's hand, squeezing it. Once Martin was up the stairs and the sound of a door shutting filtered down to them, Barrie said, "Something wasn't sitting right, you said?" 

Ianto put the full teacup down onto the low table and said, "Your organisation has followed my comings and goings for a few years now, comings and goings I freely announce to Shawn via text messages, as I'm sure you're aware."

"I am," Barrie acknowledged.

"So imagine my surprise when the woman I love is abducted by another immortal of the Game to a place that holds no particular significance for him, but certain significance for me," Ianto replied. "And before you use the word coincidence, Torchwood has taught me that there is no such thing."

Though Barrie didn't answer him, but rocked his foot back and forth, lightly. 

Ianto continued. "I also couldn't understand how a newly escaped convicted criminal managed to obtain a syringe of precisely dosed sedative and Alicia Richard's midday location... without help." 

"What is it you are accusing me of, Mr. Jones?" Barrie asked.

"The same thing you executed Kiernan Davies for-interference," Ianto replied, flatly. 

The corner of Barrie's mouth curled upwards for a split second. "You have a vivid imagination, Mr. Jones." 

"No, I don't," Ianto said, narrowing his eyes. 

Barrie tilted his head and gave him a sweet smile that made the hair on Ian's neck stand on end. "Mr. Jones, fanciful stories aren't enough to bury someone whose family has been in the Watchers since the last time an Elizabeth was Queen." He gestured at the large bay window. "Which is why there isn't a black car waiting for me outside." 

"I just don't know why," Ianto said.

Barrie put his hands on his knees and pushed himself up. "I'm afraid, I cannot speak to the reasoning behind your fantasies, Mr. Jones." He gestured at his door and into stood. Barrie put a finger up to his lips and hesitated. Then he added, with contempt, "What I can say, Mr. Jones, is this. My people have diligently recorded the Game for millennia. Fundamental to that diligence is our anonymity." His gaze hardened. "Knowing our eye is watching endangers what the Watchers have done for thousands of years and the very fabric of the Game itself. You create bias. You skew the natural order. You disrupt and you corrupt. And that I cannot stomach." 

He put his hand on his front door and opened it. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I do not appreciate intrusions of my work into my home, and Martin and I have plans." 

Ianto stood firm and looked up the staircase, pleased to see Barrie swallow out of the corner of his eye. He could hear the sound of a sewing machine. He turned back to Barrie slowly.

"I appreciate your assessment and your distaste for this intrusion, Mr. Barrie. I hope it has given you a sample of my own recent discomfort," Ianto said, fastening the buttons on his suit jacket.

Barrie dropped all pretense of politeness, and asked, bluntly, "Is this a threat, Mr. Jones?" 

Ianto replied, icily, "To use the cliche, Mr. Barrie, it's a warning and a promise. Endanger someone I love again, and I shall more forcefully remind you that Yi Mei-Xiu was my teacher by putting my lessons to use where they shall inflict the most damage." He let his eyes flick up the staircase.  

"That would be a grave error, Mr. Jones," Barrie said, just as coldly. "I'm certain the Highlander can educate you about what happened the last time Immortals of the Game went to war with the Watchers."

Ianto stood and said, "He did, Mr. Barrie. You lost. Because we are eternal." He paused. "I trust you will not forget our business arrangement." 

Barrie gave him that hair raising smile again. "Of course not, Mr. Jones."

He gestured at the door and after Ianto had stepped through he added, "But you would do well to remember why it is that the fox answers the rabbit's call."

The door gently shut and locked, leaving Ianto standing on the garden path. 

 


End file.
